Volunteer Combatant's Medal 1914–1918
Volunteer Combatant's Medal 1914–1918 | |
---|---|
Volunteer Combatant's Medal 1914–1918 (obverse) | |
Type | Military service medal |
Awarded for | Voluntary enlistment in the Belgian Armed Forces |
Presented by | Kingdom of Belgium |
Eligibility | Belgian and foreign citizens |
Status | No longer awarded |
Established | 17 June 1930 |
Ribbon of the Volunteer Combatant's Medal 1914–1918 | |
The Volunteer Combatant's Medal 1914–1918 (French: Médaille du Combattant Volontaire 1914–18, Dutch: Medaille van de Vrijwillige Strijder 1914–1918) was a Belgian wartime service medal established by royal decree on 17 June 1930 and awarded to Belgian citizens and foreign nationals who voluntarily enlisted for service in the Belgian Armed Forces during World War I.[1]
Award statute
The Volunteer Combatant's Medal 1914–1918 was awarded for voluntary enlistment and service in a combat unit in a danger zone for not less than 6 months during the First World War. Later, the eligibility criteria were extended to include volunteers, older than 40 years of age who had served for 3 months in a combat unit in a danger zone, who were older than 50 years of age who had served for 1 month in a combat unit in a danger zone, and medical personnel who had served for 2 years in non-occupied Belgium. Additional provisions were made regarding awards to youngsters who had fled occupied Belgium and persons who were wounded in action, and posthumous awards.[1]
Award description
The Volunteer Combatant's Medal 1914–1918 was a 36 mm in diameter bronze circular medal topped with a crescent shaped (30 mm at its base) section giving it a nearly oval shape of a height of 50 mm. On its obverse at right front, the relief image of the head of a helmeted First World War Belgian soldier facing left, to his left and partially hidden behind him, the relief image of the head of an 1830 volunteer also facing left and wearing a bonnet typically worn by the revolutionaries. The crescent section bears the relief image of the Belgian crown over laurel branches. On the reverse, along the outer circumference, the Latin inscription "VOLUNTARIIS PATRIA MEMOR", in the center, the years 1914–1918.[1]
The medal was suspended by a ring through the suspension loop to a silk moiré royal blue ribbon.[1]
Notable recipients (partial list)
The individuals listed below were awarded the Volunteer Combatant's Medal 1914–1918:[2]
- Cavalry Lieutenant General Marcel Jooris
- Major General Maurice Jacmart
- Lieutenant General Jean-Baptiste Piron
- Cavalry Major General Baron Beaudoin de Maere d’Aertrycke
- Major General Lucien Van Hoof
- Major General Norbert Stroobants
- Count Gatien du Parc Locmaria
- Baron Joseph van der Elst
- Jacques Delvaux de Fenffe
- Count Hubert Pierlot
- August de Schryver
- Baron Raoul Richard
- Count Georges Moens de Fernig
- Pierre Ryckmans
- Count Adelin d’Oultremont de Wégimont et de Warfusée
- Count Louis Cornet d’Elzius de Ways Ruart
- Baron Robert Goffinet
- Viscount Jacques Davignon
- Count Louis d’Ursel
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "Royal Decree of 17 June 1930 creating the Volunteer Combatant's Medal 1914–1918". Belgian Defence Ministry. 1930-06-17.
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(help) - ^ "Recipients of the Volunteer Combatant's Medal 1914–1918 compiled from the ARS MORIENDI website". ars-moriendi.be (in French). 2012-07-06. Retrieved 2012-09-06.
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)
External links
- Les Ordres Nationaux Belges (In French)
- Bibliothèque royale de Belgique (In French)
- ARS MORIENDI Notables from Belgian history (In French and Dutch)
- v
- t
- e
- Order of Leopold
- Order of the African Star
- Royal Order of the Lion
- Order of the Crown
- Order of Leopold II
- Civic Guard Merit Medal
- 1830 Star of Honour
- Iron Cross
- 1830 Volunteers' Commemorative Cross
- 1870–71 Commemorative Medal
- Service Star
- War Cross 1914–18
- Fire Cross 1914–1918
- Yser Cross and Medal
- Volunteer Combatant's Medal 1914–1918
- Commemorative Medal of the 1914–1918 War
- Commemorative Medal of the 1914–1917 African Campaigns
- Liège Medal
- Maritime Decoration 1914–1918
- Political Prisoner's Medal 1914–1918
- Deportees' Cross 1914–1918
- 1914–1918 Medal for National Restoration
- King Albert Medal
- Queen Elisabeth Medal
- Inter-Allied Victory Medal 1914–1918
- Civic Decoration 1914–1918
- Commemorative Medal of the National Committee for Aid and Food
& Korean War
- War Cross 1940–45
- Maritime Medal 1940–1945
- 1940–1945 Military Combatant's Medal
- Volunteer's Medal 1940–1945
- 1940–1945 African War Medal
- 1940–1945 Colonial War Effort Medal
- Abyssinian Campaigns Commemorative Medal
- Resistance Medal 1940–1945
- Civilian Resistance Medal
- Civilian Disobedience Medal
- Political Prisoner's Cross 1940–1945
- Prisoner of War Medal 1940–1945
- Escapees' Cross 1940–1945
- Medal for Resistance against Nazism in the Annexed Territories
- Medal of the Recruiting Centers 1940
- Medal of Belgian Gratitude 1940–1945
- Commemorative Medal of the 1940–1945 War
- Foreign Operational Theatres Commemorative Medal
military awards
- Military Decoration for exceptional service, bravery or exceptional devotion
- Military Cross
- Military Decoration for faithful service
- Cross of Honour for Military Service Abroad
- Commemorative Medal for Armed Humanitarian Operations
- Commemorative Medal for Foreign Operations or Missions
- Commemorative medal for missions or operations regarding the operational defense of the territory
- Meritorious Service Medal
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