Very stoked to have received this one this morning! This is very outside of my collecting area, but is a very unique and interesting piece in its own right.

This is a standard infantry Adrian helmet from the First World War, the M15 model. Originally painted in the expected horizon blue colour, and still with its original liner and chinstrap. The reason I haven’t posted it in the Imperial Allied section is that it is not, technically speaking, a WWI helmet.

As can be seen in the photos below, it has been given an overpaint in the ‘mustard brown’ colour used more typically on the M26 Adrian. This has been applied only to the outer shell, with the original coat of horizon blue still visible on the inside. In places on the outer shell, where the paint has been scuffed or chipped, the original coat is visible. As it is a more subdued shade of blue, rather than the more vibrant shade used on early WWI Adrians, I will guess that this is a later-war helmet.

This also means the original manufacturer’s ink stamps have survived intact. What I presume is a size marking ‘C 60′ is visible in the pictures below. There is another marking - an anchor with a ‘C’ in each of its arms’, the logo for Compagnie Coloniale - but I didn’t want to risk damage to the liner by bending it too far back.

Another interesting personal touch is the owner’s rank, surname and regiment penciled on the liner. ‘Adjudant Decaux 39e RI’. This pertains to the French 39th Infantry Regiment, a part of the 5th Motorized Infantry Division. The division was disbanded on 25th May 1940, after suffering heavy losses during the Battle of France. Its final command post was at Dunkirk, where some elements managed evacuation as part of Operation Dynamo.

So, not a conventional or textbook helmet by any means. But one that tells its own story, and one that I’m very happy to finally have in my hands!

Regards, B.B.