Extremely Rare Original WW1 Greek Army M18 ‘Adrian’ Helmet
In untouched and fully original complete condition. It goes without saying that Greek helmets from this period are extremely rare.
After Greece partially entered the war in 1916 under Elefthérios Kyriáko Venizélos rival government they were mostly equipped with French M15 ‘Adrian’ helmets complete with the French RF infantry badge. After the Greeks unified the decision was taken in 1918 to formally adopt the adrian, designating it the M18 and replacing the French badges/paint with their own. In this form the helmets were used throughout late WW1 and the Greco Turkish War (1919-22)
This helmet (and another the same) was recently found in a basement of a police station in Thessaloniki in Greece, and it has evidence of long term storage, dryness in the leather of the chinstrap and liner.
The liner itself is still soft and has a felt/ fabric under layer.
The helmet has an unusual green painted stripe 17mm in width at the base of the shell - the purpose / meaning of the strip is unknown but may perhaps be related to Greek Military Police.
There appears to be no markings within the helmet.
