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The Deportees’ Cross 1914-1918

The Deportees’ Cross 1914–1918 (Croix des Déportés 1914–1918 / Weggevoerdenkruis 1914–1918) is a Belgian war medal established by royal decree on 27 November 1922 and awarded to Belgian citizens deported to Germany for forced labor during the First World War.

Deportees who died during their deportation were not awarded this cross, instead, they received the Order of Leopold II with the ribbon bearing a central longitudinal gold stripe.

The Deportees’ Cross 1914-1918 Design

The medal measures 38mm wide and is struck in bronze. It’s a cross pattée with identical plain obverse and reverse. The horizontal arms bear the relief inscription “1914” on the right arm and “1918” on the left arm.

The ribbon is 37mm wide dark red silk moiré adorned with 3mm chevrons in the national colors of Belgium. The cross is suspended by a ring through a suspension loop.

The Political Prisoner’s Medal 1914-1918

The Political Prisoner’s Medal 1914–1918 (Médaille du Prisonnier Politique 1914–1918 / Medaille van de Politieke Gevangene 1914–1918) is a Belgian medal established on 26 December 1930 by royal decree and awarded to Belgian civilians who were detained for a minimum of one month by the Germans during the First World War following an act of courage or devotion towards the Allies’ cause.

Recipients of this medal also automatically received the 1914–1918 Commemorative War Medal and the Inter-Allied Victory Medal 1914–1918.

The Political Prisoner’s Medal 1914-1918 Design

The medal measures 35 mm (1.4 in) in diameter and is circular and struck in bronze. Its obverse bears a 25 mm in diameter central medallion with the left profile of King Albert I and the inscription in French or in Dutch “ALBERT KING OF THE BELGIANS” (“ALBERT ROI DES BELGES” / “ALBERT KONING DER BELGEN”) surrounded by a 5mm wide laurel wreath along the entire medal circumference.

On the reverse of the central medallion, the relief inscription on four lines in French or in Dutch “IN TESTIMONY OF NATIONAL RECOGNITION” (“EN TEMOIGNAGE DE RECONNAISSANCE NATIONALE” / “ALS BLIJK VAN’S LANDS ERKENTELIJKHEID”) and the years “1914–1918” below.

The ribbon is 38mm wide light blue silk moiré and bears a single 4.5 mm (0.18 in) high horizontal central stripe in the national colors of Belgium (1.5 mm red, 1.5 mm yellow and 1.5 mm black). The medal is suspended by a ring through a suspension loop.

The Liège Medal

The Liège Medal is an unofficial World War I campaign medal issued by the city of Liège to its 1914 defenders against German invaders.

The Liège Medal (Médaille de Liège / Medaille van Luik) is an unofficial World War I campaign medal issued by the Belgian city of Liège to its 1914 defenders against the German invaders.

The medal was first issued in April 1920 during a large ceremony presided by the Duke of Brabant (later Leopold III) and Lieutenant General the Count Gérard-Mathieu Leman, military commander of the defense of Liège between 5th and 16th of August 1914. The medal was awarded to the military defenders of the city and later to residents of the city of Liège who were condemned to imprisonment by a German tribunal.

The Liège Medal Design

The medal measures 35mm in diameter and is circular and struck from bronze (although, being unofficial, some recipients had theirs gilded or silvered). It has a 2mm wide raised edge on both sides with laurel leaves along the entire circumference.

The obverse bears the relief image of the Liège Perron superimposed over a decoration akin the French Legion of Honour and bisecting the year “19” “14”. Along the circumference, a relief inscription reads “LA VILLE DE LIÈGE A SES VAILLANTS DEFENSEVRS” (“THE CITY OF LIÈGE TO ITS VALIANT DEFENDERS“). The reverse bears the relief image of a battle scene including soldiers fighting on near a partly destroyed bunker on the bank of the Meuse river.

The ribbon is a 38mm wide silk moiré half red and half yellow, the colors of the city of Liège. The medal is suspended by two interlocking rings, the lower one passing through a suspension loop on the top.

The 1914-1917 African Campaigns Commemorative Medal

The Commemorative Medal of the African Campaigns 1914–1917 (Médaille Commémorative des Campagnes d’Afrique 1914–1917 / Herinneringsmedaille van de Afrikaanse Veldtochten 1914–1917) is a Belgian military war service medal established on 21 February 1917 by Royal Decree to recognize combat service on the African continent between 1914 and 1918.

The medal was awarded in silver to Belgian military personnel and in bronze to indigenous personnel who participated in the campaigns in Cameroun, Rhodesia, German East Africa, and on the Eastern borders of the Belgian Congo (and in Tanganyika) between 1914 and 1918.

The medal was produced in two different variants:

  • Type 1 (bearing the years 1914–1916 on the reverse), and
  • Type 2 (bearing the years 1914–1917).

The 1914-1917 African Campaigns Commemorative Medal Design

The medal measures 31mm in diameter and is circular and struck in silver for Belgians or bronze for Africans. The award is surmounted by a 14mm wide by 12mm high royal crown and has raised edges on both the obverse and reverse.

The obverse bears the relief image of a lion, its front legs on a rocky outcropping, on the left side of the lion, the base of a mountain, on the right, tropical flora. Above it, there’s a small relief five-pointed star. On the reverse there’s the relief of a five-pointed star bisecting the years “1914*1916” (for the type 1 medal), or “1914*1917” (for the type 2). Three relief laurel branches, two horizontal and one vertical are partially hidden by the names of the localities where engagements were fought inscribed on nine lines, in all capital letters: Kamerun, Ouesso Assobam, Mulundu Jaunde, Afrique Orientale Allemande, Kigali, Nyansa Udjiji, Usumbura Biaramulo, Kitega St Michael and Tabora.

The ribbon is light blue 38mm wide silk moiré with 5mm wide yellow edge stripes, suspended by a ring through a suspension loop.

The 1914-1918 Commemorative War Medal

The Commemorative Medal of the 1914–1918 War (Médaille Commémorative de la Guerre 1914-1918 / Oorlogsherinnerinsmedaille 1914-1918) is a Belgian commemorative war medal established on 21 July 1919 by royal decree and awarded to all members of the Belgian Armed Forces who served during the First World War who were eligible for the Inter-Allied Victory Medal.

The 1914-1918 Commemorative War Medal Design

The medal was struck from bronze, and measures 47 mm high by 31 mm wide. It’s triangular shaped and has rounded sides.

Its obverse bears a relief of a helmeted soldier in profile, within a 29 mm in diameter circular recess, and with the helmet adorned with laurels. There are also relief dates “1914” and “1918”. In the upper point of the triangle, above the circular recess, there’s an image of a lion rampant with an oak branch to its left and a laurel branch to its right.

The reverse bears the relief image of a crown surrounded by the same branches as the lion on the obverse, and below the crown, a semi-circular inscription in French on two rows over the large relief dates “1914 – 1918”, “MEDAILLE COMMEMORATIVE / DE LA CAMPAGNE“, the inscription repeated in Dutch below the dates “HERDENKINGSMEDAILLE / VAN DEN VELDTOCHT” (translated to COMMEMORATIVE MEDAL OF THE 1914 – 1918 CAMPAIGN).

The medal is suspended by a ring through the suspension loop to a 39 mm wide red silk moiré ribbon with an 11 mm wide central yellow stripe bordered by 1 mm wide black stripes.

The Maritime Decoration 1914-1918

The Maritime Decoration 1914-1918 was established on 19 November 1918. This medal was awarded in five classes to recognize distinguished services at sea, including merchant seamen and fishermen:

  • Cross First Class,
  • Cross Second Class,
  • Gold Medal,
  • Silver Medal,
  • Bronze Medal.

The Maritime Decoration 1914-1918 Design

The medal’s ribbon is pale green with two red-edged yellow stripes each with a black central stripe, bearing crossed anchors in a metal appropriate to the class.

The Volunteer Combatant’s Medal 1914-1918

The Volunteer Combatant’s Medal 1914–1918 (Médaille du Combattant Volontaire 1914–18 / Medaille van de Vrijwillige Strijder 1914–1918) is a Belgian wartime service medal established on 17 June 1930 by royal decree and awarded to Belgian citizens and foreign nationals who voluntarily enlisted for service in the Belgian Armed Forces during World War I.

The award was given 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 was 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.

The Volunteer Combatant’s Medal 1914-1918 Design

The medal measures 36 mm in diameter and is made of bronze and circular. It’s topped with a crescent-shaped section giving it a nearly oval shape of a height of 50 mm.

On its obverse is 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“.

The medal was suspended by a ring through the suspension loop to a silk moiré royal blue ribbon.

The Fire Cross 1914-1918

The Fire Cross 1914-1918 (Croix du Feu 1914–1918 / Vuurkruis 1914–1918) was a Belgian military decoration established by royal decree on 6 February 1934 and awarded to all holders of the so-called “Fire Card” which was given to all who came under fire at the front during the First World War.

The Fire Cross could not be awarded posthumously.

The Fire Cross 1914-1918 Design

The medal is a 44 mm wide by 54 mm high bronze cross quadrate. Except for a 3 mm wide plain border, the cross arms were striated, horizontally for the lateral arms and vertically for the vertical arms on both the obverse and reverse.

The central rectangle bore on its obverse, 5mm wide vertical laurel branches on either side, at the center, the relief image of a deserted battlefield with at the forefront, the relief image of a World War 1 Belgian helmet over a bayonet, farther and on a slight elevation at left, a 75 mm howitzer, at upper right, the Sun breaking through clouds.

On its reverse, a large laurel branch extending diagonally from bottom left to top right and bisected by the relief inscription on two lines in Latin “SALUS PATRIAE SUPREMA LEX“, translated to “THE NATION’S SALVATION IS OUR HIGHEST DUTY“. In the top left corner, a royal crown from which seven relief rays extend downwards, at bottom right, the relief years on two rows “1914” and “1918”, at the bottom left just below the laurel branch’s stem, the name of the designer of the award, “A. Rombaut”.

The ribbon measures 36mm wide and is red silk moiré, with three 4 mm wide longitudinal blue stripes, one at the centre, the other two on either side 1 mm from the ribbon’s edges.

The Yser Cross

The Yser Cross (Croix de l’Yser / Kruis van de IJzer) replaced the Yser Medal in 1934. The Yser Medal and the Yser Cross could not be worn together, it was one or the other.

The Yser Cross was issued as a replacement to the earlier Yser Medal upon application and payment of a fee, consequently, relatively few were issued as few veterans wanted to trade in their medal, and even fewer wanted to pay the fee.

The Yser Cross Design

The cross was of similar design to the Yser Medal, displaying the same obverse and reverse except that it was in the form of a cross pattée.

Although issued with the same black and red ribbon as the Yser medal, many Flemish recipients opted for an unofficial black and yellow ribbon identifying them as Dutch-speaking Belgians.

The Yser Medal

The Yser Medal is a Belgian campaign medal established in 1918 to denote distinguished service during the 1914 Battle of the Yser.

The Yser Medal (Médaille de l’Yser / Medaille van de IJzer) is a Belgian campaign medal established on 18 October 1918 to denote distinguished service during the 1914 Battle of the Yser (between 17 and 31 October 1914) in which the Belgian Army stopped the German advance of the German invasion of Belgium.

The medal could also be awarded to foreign nationals and members of allied military forces who took part in the battle, and could be given posthumously.

It was worn on the left side of the chest and when in the presence of other awards of Belgium, directly after the Belgian War Cross.

The Yser Medal Design

The medal measures 35 mm in diameter and is circular and struck from bronze. It’s surmounted by a smaller diameter green enameled medallion.

The obverse bears a nude, helmeted man holding a lance, which references the halting of the advance of the German forces. To his right, a relief inscription on three lines reads “17-31 OCT 1914” and “YSER“. The reverse bears the image of a roaring wounded lion lying on the bank of the Yser river, with an arrow in its left shoulder. Below the lion, a relief inscription reads “YSER“, and shows the Belgian royal crown over the relief letter “A”, the monogram of King Albert.

The ribbon is red silk moiré with wide black edge stripes. The red denoting the spilled blood, the black denoting the mourning.