The Adrian helmet was an influential design of combat helmet originally produced for the French Army during World War 1. This is an original M15 which was the first standard helmet of the French Army and was designed for trench warfare as head wounds from the falling shrapnel became a frequent cause of battlefield casualties. This was the first modern steel helmet and served as the basic helmet of many armies well into the 1930s. It was initially issued to infantry soldiers but in modified form they were also issued to cavalry and tank crews. The helmet features its original liner and strap with the flaming bomb helmet badge with “RF” (French Republic) embossed upon it. During Winston Churchill’s time in the British Army’s Grenadier Guards (1915), he was presented with one of these helmets which he can be seen wearing in some photographs.
*Condition*
This helmet is in good overall condition for its age and usage. It has a few dents in the dome and some light patches of rust. The liner and strap are heavily worn and partly missing. Please see pictures for more detail as they form part of our condition report.
