The Commemorative Medal of the National Committee for Aid and Food

• Time Period: The Great War
• Institution: 31 May 1919
• Country: Belgium

The Commemorative Medal of the National Committee for Aid and Food was instituted on 31 May 1919 and awarded to those who had been active in the ‘National Committee’.

The Committee was able to direct aid and assistance to the neediest, operating under American protection and within the constraints of the occupying German forces. Much of Belgium was German-occupied from August 1914 and by the following month groups of civilian volunteers had sprung up to alleviate hunger and hardship. The Committee was also important politically and culturally in maintaining a Belgian civil identity through the period of occupation.

The Commemorative Medal of the National Committee for Aid and Food Design

The medal is circular and was engraved by Devresse. It’s divided into 4 classes, each struck in a different material:

• 1st class: In gilded bronze and rosette ribbon.
• 2nd class: In gilded bronze.
• 3rd class: In silvered bronze.
• 4th class: In bronze.

The ribbon is red with white edges.