Rare French ersatz helmet

Dear all,

A very rare ersatz French Adrian helmet.

Conversely to the Germans, the French would not allow those helmets to be worn at the front. They were made by private manufacturers (one in fact) for use when away from the battlefield. As a private purchase, it would be bought mostly by officers.

They were made from 1916 to 1917 only And not so popular - hence the rarity.

Best

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Unfortunately I have no knowledge about french helmets, but it is in a beautiful condition. Congratulations :)
 
I can only echo the previous comments, I have never seen that before. Again, why would anyone choose to go to war in a felt hat?
 
I obviously needed to reread the initial description.......not to be worn at the front, away from the battlefield.
 
It’s a real looker but Ive never seen one and I do like French WW1 items. It’s so intriguing that I’ll do some research.
 
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That is very neat, I have never seen such a thing, nor did I have a clue that it is even existed, funnily enough, that might be the most ironic thing in the world though. Of course because the purpose of a helmet is to protect, and felt does this, less so than steel. Very cool, I will want to do some research on this.
 
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