Commemorative Medal of the 1940–1945 War

Commemorative Medal of the 1940–1945 War
Commemorative War Medal 1940–1945 (obverse)
Awarded by Kingdom of Belgium
Type	Medal
Eligibility	Personnel of the Belgian Armed Forces, members of the Belgian Resistance, Belgian Merchant Navy personnel
Awarded for	Military service between 10 May 1940 and 7 May 1945
Status	No longer awarded
Statistics
Established	16 February 1945
Precedence
Next (higher)	Volunteer's Medal 1940–1945
Next (lower)	Foreign Operational Theatres Commemorative Medal
Medal reverse Ribbon bar

The Commemorative Medal of the 1940–45 War (French: Médaille Commémorative de la Guerre 1940–45, Dutch: De Herinneringsmedaille van de Oorlog 1940–1945) was a military decoration of Belgium. It was established by royal decree of the Prince Regent on 16 February 1945 to recognise Belgian servicemen and women who served during World War II. It was also awarded to members of the Belgian Resistance and members of Belgium's Merchant Navy on the side of the Allies. Later decrees allowed for its award to foreign recipients of the Belgian Croix de Guerre.^[1]

Award description

Insignia

The Commemorative Medal of the War 1940–1945 was a 38mm in diameter circular bronze medal, the obverse bore a large V for Victory sign with a relief roaring lion in the V, at lower left was the relief year "1940", at lower right the relief year "1945". A 3mm wide laurel wreath encircled the entire medal on both the obverse and reverse. On the reverse, within a 5mm wide raised circle, the relief inscriptions (French: MEDAILLE COMMEMORATIVE) within the upper half and (Dutch: HERINNERINGSMEDAILLE) in the lower half, in the center of the raised circle, two 3mm high raised horizontal bars positioned 8mm apart, the upper one bearing the relief inscription (French: DE LA GUERRE), the lower one bearing (Dutch: VAN DER OORLOG), at center, between the two horizontal bars, the relief years "1940–1945".^[1]

The medal was suspended by a ring through a lateral suspension loop from a 37mm wide yellow silk moiré ribbon with 8mm wide edge stripes composed of 2mm wide stripes of yellow, black, white and black, the yellow being closest to the edges.^[1]

Ribbon devices

Many ribbon devices are allowed for wear:^[1]

crossed sabres denoting combat service in the 1940 campaign or service in the armed resistance,
crossed anchors denoting naval combat service,
crossed lightning flashes denoting service in intelligence,
a small lion denoting a mention in dispatches,
a red enamelled cross denoting a combat wound,
bronze bars denoting years as a POW,
a star denoting colonial troops,
a crown denoting a volunteer,
multiple campaign clasps (some straight, some elliptical):
- Straight clasps:
  - Ardennes
  - Ardennes Belges
  - Atlantique Nord
  - Bataille D'Angelterre
  - Battaille de Belgique 1940
  - Beauquesne
  - Belgique
  - Campagne D'Allemagne
  - Campagne De Hollande
  - Canal Albert
  - Canal Albert-Kanne
  - Canal De Terneuzen
  - Canal de Wessem
  - Dieppe
  - Emden
  - Escaut
  - Flandres 1940
  - Frontiere
  - Italie
  - Knesselare
  - La Dendre 1940
  - La Gette
  - La Lys 1940
  - Liege 1940
  - Manche
  - Namur 1940
  - Nevele
  - Normandie
  - Oldenburg
  - Ronsele
  - Vinkt
  - Walcheren
  - Winterbeek
  - Yougoslavie
  - Zelzate
  - Zwijndrecht
- Elliptical clasps:
  - Allemagne 1944–1945
  - France 1944
  - Pays-Bas 1944–1945
  - Tchecoslovaquie 1945
  - Ardennes 1944–1945

Notable recipients (partial list)

The individuals listed below were awarded the Commemorative Medal of the War 1940–1945:^[2]

Lieutenant General Baron Charles de Cumont
Lieutenant General Albert Baron Crahay
Cavalry Lieutenant General Marcel Jooris
Lieutenant General Roger Dewandre
Lieutenant General Ernest Engelen
Lieutenant General Sir Louis Teysen
Lieutenant General Constant Weyns
Police Lieutenant General August Van Wanzeele
Aviator Lieutenant General Armand Crekillie
Major General Maurice Jacmart
Divisional Admiral Léon Lurquin
Aviator Vice Admiral Sir André Schlim
Cavalry Major General Jules François Gaston Everaert
Lieutenant General Jean-Baptiste Piron
Lieutenant General Jules Joseph Pire
Cavalry Lieutenant General Sir Maximilien de Neve de Roden
Lieutenant General Alphonse Verstraete
Major General Baron Georges Danloy
Lieutenant General Baron Raoul de Hennin de Boussu-Walcourt
Lieutenant General Joseph Leroy
Cavalry Lieutenant General Jules De Boeck
Lieutenant General Fernand Vanderhaeghen
Lieutenant General Robert Oor
Lieutenant General Libert Elie Thomas
Lieutenant General Léon Bievez
Cavalry Major General Baron Beaudoin de Maere d'Aertrycke
Major General Lucien Van Hoof
Major General Jean Buysse
Major General Paul Jacques
Commodore Georges Timmermans
Aviator Major General Norbert Leboutte
Police Lieutenant General Louis Joseph Leroy
Police Lieutenant General Oscar-Eugène Dethise
Chaplain General Louis Kerremans
Count Pierre Harmel

References

1 2 3 4 "Royal Decree of the Regent of 16 February 1945 creating the Commemorative Medal of the War 1940–1945". Belgian Defence Ministry. 1945-02-16. Missing or empty |url= (help)
↑ "Recipients of the Commemorative Medal of the War 1940–1945 compiled from the ARS MORIENDI web site" (in French). ARS MORIENDI. 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)
WINKLER PRINS: Herinneringsmedaille van de oorlog 1940–1945.

External links

http://users.skynet.be/hendrik/nl/B2-N-Comm.html
Bibliothèque royale de Belgique (In French)
Les Ordres Nationaux Belges (In French)
ARS MORIENDI Notables from Belgian history (In French and Dutch)

Orders and Honours of Belgium

Current orders	Order of Leopold Order of the Crown Order of Leopold II

Formerly awarded orders (dormant)	Order of the African Star Royal Order of the Lion

Pre 1914 war medals and decorations	Civic Guard Merit Medal 1830 Star of Honour Iron Cross 1830 Volunteers' Commemorative Cross 1870–71 Commemorative Medal

1914–1918 war medals and decorations	Croix de guerre 1914–18 Fire Cross 1914–1918 Yser Medal Yser Cross Volunteer Combatant's Medal 1914–1918 1914–1918 Commemorative War Medal 1914–1917 African Campaigns Commemorative Medal 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

1940–1945 war medals and decorations	Croix de guerre 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 War 1940–1945 Civic Decoration 1940–1945

Post 1945 war medals and decorations	Foreign Operational Theatres Commemorative Medal War Volunteer's Medal

Current military awards	Military Cross Military Decoration Croix de guerre (post-1954) Cross of Honour for Military Service Abroad Commemorative Medal for Armed Humanitarian Operations Medal for Services Rendered Commemorative Medal for Foreign Operations or Missions Medal for Military Merit Commemorative Medal for the "European March of Memory and Friendship" "Four Days of the Yser" Commemorative Medal

Current civilian awards	Civic Decoration Honour Badge of Labour Labour Decoration Decoration for Mutuality

Commemorative 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

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