🔎 UNIDENTIFIED French helmet with a number painted on it

[Matteo La Boccia]

Buongiorno cari amici,
Ho trovato un elmo francese con il numero 148 dipinto sopra. Hai qualche idea sull'età di questo elmo e sul motivo di questo numero?
Many thanks!!!

 

[pepperj]

Buongiorno cari amici,
Ho trovato un elmo francese con il numero 148 dipinto sopra. Hai qualche idea sull'età di questo elmo e sul motivo di questo numero?
Many thanks!!!

Good morning, dear friends,
I found a French helmet with the number 148 painted on it. Do you have any idea how old it is and why it has this number?

Looks like a WW l helmet

 

[Centsless Detecting]

Good morning, dear friends,
I found a French helmet with the number 148 painted on it. Do you have any idea how old it is and why it has this number?

Looks like a WW l helmet

Thanks pepperj! I just woke up and immediately reading French threw me way off.

 

[pepperj]

Thanks pepperj! I just woke up and immediately reading French threw me way off.

It would as it's Italian.🤣
You need a

 

[Centsless Detecting]

It would as it's Italian.🤣

Oh my... Still need my coffee...


Lesson learned, don't comment without thinking just a little bit more first. 🤣

 

[Mackaydon]

IMO, I'd call it a WWII FRENCH ADRIAN HELMET MODEL 1926 M26 / INFANTRY
The helmets, at first designated to just the infantry, were distributed to all the branches of service. The only distinguishing characteristic on the helmet between each of the branches was in the badge mounted on the crown.
But without the crest insignia and the badge to make a branch distinction, I'll hold with infantry.
Don in SoCal

 

[Red-Coat]

Good day Matteo.

The ebay seller for that same helmet says it’s a French ‘Adrian’ helmet:

https://www.ebay.it/itm/225805834006

That may well be the case, but I don’t think it’s a military combat helmet. Those had a ‘comb’ running along the top, like these, and I don’t see any sign of it:

Some versions without a comb began to be produced in 1926 with the M26 variant, but these were for civil defence usage, including services such as police and fire brigade where the additional protection from the comb was deemed less important.

The M26 combat version of the Adrian also had a series of small holes located under the comb to replace the large, single vent hole of the preceding M15 version. The helmet you’re showing also has vent holes, but on the side of the shell.

Numbers and symbols are often seen painted on helmets, especially from the WWII era. Although sometimes seen on combat helmets, especially if they include a rank designation, they’re more frequently seen on civil defence helmets for unit identification and co-ordination purposes.