This French "Gendarmerie à Cheval" Model 1912 helmet was manufactured in November 11, 1913 by “B. Franck & ses Fils” in Aubervilliers, an industrial centre outside of the city of Paris, France. The shell of the helmet is made out of brass. Atop the crown sits an embossed nickel silver “comb” featuring the face of a gorgon, acanthus leaves, palm fronds, and waterleaves. The comb contains a black horsehair crest and a removable black horsehair tail, which was used by mounted, or “à cheval,” gendarmes while riding horses; the helmets worn by the "Gendarmerie à Pied," or foot gendarmes, were identical to the mounted version, but lacked the horsehair tail entirely. The front of the helmet features a nickel silver front-plate, or “bandeau,” which itself features a flaming grenade, the symbol of France’s Gendarmarie Nationale, surrounded by laurel leaves. The helmet’s nickel silver chinscales are attached to nickel silver medallions, or “rosettes,” which feature lion heads. Above the left rosette is a nickel silver plume-holder, which would have previously held a tricolored feather plume. The inside of the helmet contains an adjustable, black-leather liner, which is clearly marked with the helmet’s size of “58” and the helmet’s date of manufacture. The manufacture’s mark of “B. Franck & ses Fils” is located above the helmet’s neck-guard. This factory, owned by Bernard Franck, was notable for its manufacture of military equipment since 1804. France’s Gendarmerie Nationale, who would have worn the Model 1912 helmet, acted as the policing branch of the French military, largely enforcing the law in rural areas. During the First World War, the Gendarmes were tasked with additional provost, or military policing, duties which included the capturing of deserters, escorting of supply columns, and policing of areas in the war zone. The Model 1912 "Gendarmerie à Cheval" helmet was used from September 23, 1912 to no later than June 27, 1916. The use of this style of helmet fell out of favour by 1915 due to its failure to protect the wearer from shrapnel, an ever-present cause of injury and death during the First World War. All forms of headwear previously used throughout the French military were gradually replaced by variations of the M15 Adrian helmet, which is considered to be the first modern steel helmet. The Gendarmerie Nationale, as a part of the French military, started to phase in the M15 Adrian helmet by November 5, 1915. Evan Abma, 11/6/2015