Adrian helmet was an influential design of combat helmet originally produced for the French Army during World War I Its original version, the M15, was the first standard helmet of the French Army and was designed when millions of French troops were engaged in trench warfare, and head wounds from the falling shrapnel generated by indirect fire became a frequent cause of battlefield casualties.
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Contrary to common misconception, the M15 Adrian helmet was not designed to protect the wearer from direct impact by rifle or machine gun bullets.
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The Adrian helmet was surprisingly complex to produce with seventy stages involved in its production, not including those required to prepare the metal.
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However, the Adrian helmet was deliberately designed this way to evoke the artistic style of the highly popular military artist Edouard Detaille, which helped raise the morale of the troops.
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From late 1915, a cloth cover for the Adrian helmet was issued, in khaki or light blue, to prevent reflection.
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However, it was found that if the Adrian helmet was pierced by shell splinters, pieces of dirty cloth were carried into the wound, which increased the risk of infection.
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Adrian helmet is seen wearing it in photographs and in a portrait painted by Sir John Lavery.
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In 1926, the Adrian helmet was modified by being constructed of stronger steel and simplified by having the main part of the helmet stamped from one piece of metal, and therefore without the joining rim around the helmet that characterizes the M15.
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The M26 Adrian helmet continued in use with the French Army until after World War II, and was used by the French police up to the 1970s.
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