Civilian Disobedience Medal
Civilian Disobedience Medal | |
---|---|
Civilian Disobedience Medal(obverse) | |
Type | War medal |
Awarded for | Refusal to help the German war effort during World War 2 |
Presented by | Kingdom of Belgium |
Eligibility | Belgian citizens |
Status | No longer awarded |
Established | 12 February 1951 |
Reverse of the Civilian Disobedience Medal | |
The Civilian Disobedience Medal (French: Médaille du Réfractaire, Dutch: Werkweigeraarsmedaille) was a war service medal of the Kingdom of Belgium established by royal decree on 12 February 1951 and awarded to Belgian citizens refusing to support the German war effort during the Second World War.
Award description
The Civilian Disobedience Medal was a circular 37mm in diameter bronze medal. Its obverse bore the relief torso of a civilian male with his arms crossed and his face turned away to the right in defiance. The reverse bore the relief inscription on two lines in Latin "FORSAN VICTI NUNQUAM SERVI" roughly translating into "MAYBE DEFEATED BUT NEVER SLAVES". The years "1940-1945" are inscribed along the reverse's upper circumference.
The medal was suspended by a ring through a suspension loop to a 38mm wide silk moiré green ribbon with two 3mm wide longitudinal stripes located 1cm from the edges, the stripes came in three different colours depending on the reason for bestowal:
- yellow stripes indicated refusal to serve in the German armed forces;
- white stripes indicated refusal to work for the Germans;
- red stripes indicated refusal to return to Germany by a forced labourer following leave at home in Belgium.
References
- Royal Decree of 12 February 1951 creating the Médaille du Réfractaire
Other sources
- Quinot H., 1950, Recueil illustré des décorations belges et congolaises, 4e Edition. (Hasselt)
- Cornet R., 1982, Recueil des dispositions légales et réglementaires régissant les ordres nationaux belges. 2e Ed. N.pl., (Brussels)
- Borné A.C., 1985, Distinctions honorifiques de la Belgique, 1830-1985 (Brussels)
See also
External links
- Bibliothèque royale de Belgique (In French)
- Les Ordres Nationaux Belges (In French)
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- Order of Leopold
- Order of the African Star
- Royal Order of the Lion
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& Korean War
- War Cross 1940–45
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- Civilian Resistance Medal
- Civilian Disobedience Medal
- Political Prisoner's Cross 1940–1945
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- Medal of the Recruiting Centers 1940
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military awards
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civilian awards
medals
- Commemorative Decoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Creation of the Railroads
- Commemorative Medal of the Reign of King Leopold II
- Commemorative Medal for the 75th Anniversary of the Belgian Postal Service
- Centenary of National Independence Commemorative Medal
- Commemorative Medal for the Centenary of the Telegraphic Service
- Commemorative Medal for the 100th Anniversary of the Belgian Postal Service
- Commemorative Medal of the Reign of King Albert I
- Commemorative Medal for the "European March of Memory and Friendship"
- "Four Days of the Yser" Commemorative Medal
- Order of the Belgian Red Cross
- Blood Donour's Medal
- 1940–1945 Cross of Honour of the Belgian Red Cross
- 1940–1945 Belgian Red Cross Decoration