M26 Adrian Helmet - Casque Adrian

very good ..........lucky you! so your getting 2 more too - happy days!

 

I hope to get them next Saturday.

 

that's great, cant wait to see some pics when you can

 

I haven't received the two mentionned helmets yet, but I got this one with original painting and chin strap. I was cleaning it when I realized it had some green spots here and there and started to think they were dodgy things adde dafter the war, but then I saw what's left of an original Lorraine Cross painting and realize dthis helmet was modified for use by the FFI! I chose not to touch any of the paint, neither add, nor remove anything, just leave it as such

 

My latest: what about this souvenir from a soldiers's stag night during the phoney war? The guy named Bouvet had to walk around in town with this helmet painted as a roman one while his buddie swould drag him from bar to bar until he's leave to the front the night day. It must have been quite a party. the tag mentions "Bouvet , the ultimate support for the morale of our troops". There is even a home made liner from cloth, probably made by a wife who new exactly how to make these, as even the holes, strap and flaps are well made. The original green paint of the M-26 helmet is still under the blue. I tis dated 1939-1940. This is probably the most orignial of my helmets and a true souvenir of the phoney war.

 

Bump , is this fine thead dying out or shall I carry on posting other helmets and share pics and knowledge here with you?

 

by all means no, for some reason the thread was'nt showing up on my computer until now when you bumped it up

your new adrain is someting else - looks good and a great story to go with it!

can you post a pic of the homemade liner?......is the chin strap made of orange velvet? .....very comfortable ....fancy too

 

I will post the home made velvet liner soon Andy. Thanks for showing interest. In the mean time le tme show you my lated 1939 Belgian one in pistache green, not the usual kaki one. This is not a repainted and the color is the original one (about 80% of the paint left due to heave rust) . I need to replace the chin strap but the liner is more or less fine.

 

again very nice.....tell me what does the lion's head badge represent, as I've seen a few pics of Belgian helmets and they always have this lion - is it the only badge they use? ...or just infantry - so common to see

 

the lion is part of the Belgian heraldry (as in the U.K. or in Holland for instance) . It symbolizes strenght and royalty . You will find a fine symbol of this at the Waterloo memorial where a lion wa smade with melted canons on top of a hill on the former Battlefield.

 

interesting info, thanks for that.

 

Two new Adrians and excellent ones too that are waiting to get on a mannequin.

another Belgian in Kaki green , the inside is a French DP liner tha tarrived in a terribly battered condition but that I managed to save and restore. The helmet has almost 100% of the original paint. I still need a chin strap.





The second helmet is a French 1931 artillery Adrian with WWI insignia, it is complete and with chin strap (unfortunately a bit short) . The liner is a 1931 French army one .

 

Bloody hell, Skip, some nice helmets you've got there.

 

Glad you help them. I added the insignia smyself, but consering the variety of the kaki , i suspect those helmets could in fact have been used by colonial troops, which would make them even better. Getting the croissant insignia is another matter though, so artillery will be just as nice until then.

 

skipper, I've got this photo in one of my books.
I know the Anchor shows they are Colonial Infantry but they don't look very Colonial.
Any thoughts on their Regiment?
310 Colonial Infantry but from where?

 

This is not colonial infantry but Marines . Also metropolitan soldiers would often fight in colonial regiments and the colonial outfit would not neceseraly be a hot weather uniform .

 

I thought the anchor denoted Colonial troops.
I was reading up earlier about European French troops in Colonial units & the different insignia.
What does a Colonial Infantry Adrian Helmet badge look like then?
If they are marines was there a 310 Marine Infantry Regiment & where did they serve?

 

I'm afraid little is known about the 310 R.I. between 1920 and 1945 ,there is however information available about WWI and the post WWII period.

310e régiment d'infanterie - Wikipédia

enclosed a picture of the colonial troops Adrian with crescent insignia

 

cheers Skip, see this is where i'm getting my info from, Osprey's French Army 1939-1945 Vol 1.
I've got this book in my collection but I've found it online.
It says the helmet badge for Colonial Infantry was an anchor & same for service dress collar patches.
The French Army 1939-45 - Google Books

 

skip, what sort of badge is on helmet bootm left ?
http://www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/images/ib/ibsnfrd.jpg