This French Modele 1915 Adrian helmet in relic condition is from the Verdun area, a poignant reminder of the horrors of war.
The battle of Verdun was horrible. Even today the ground is pockmarked by shellholes. I will not go into the specifics about the battle, numbers, dates etc. my focus now is on the human factor, the suffering and death.
So many disappeared here forever, never to be identified. The ossuary holds more than 130000 unidentified and unidentifiable dead soldiers. The exact number will never be known. Lots more lie in the ground, simply ground to pieces and forever scattered from the force of the incessant explosions. What the soldiers of both sides endured can never be understood by us, and we should count that as a blessing…
Relics like this always make me think, as though it was not found with human remains, it is still probable that the owner is still in the area, or was collected later to end in the ossuary or among the endless rows of crosses in the French graveyard by the ossuary.
Therefore I treat relics like this with dignity, to honor the sacrifice the owner made.
