Rare WW1 French Adrian' Armoured' Epaulette

Shoulder Pads - Sous-Intendant Adrian, who wanted to design and mass produce simple and effective forms of protection, designed shoulder pads in December 1915 at the same time as the helmet that bore his name. They were intended to protect the soldiers' shoulders, the most exposed parts of the body after the head, from shrapnel exploding above the trenches. With his well-known feeling for practical and economical things, he had sheet metal for helmets made into strips. They were sewn into two thicknesses of cloth recovered from modified items, horizon-blue on top, the other colours below, here madder-red and bluish iron-grey. The rollers had the same purpose as the pre-war ones, to prevent the kit straps from slipping off. More than two million of the shoulder pads were produced and issued after January 1916. Many photographs show they were used on a large scale at the front lines. They were not effective and were used until stocks were exhausted.

Code: 14764