The Medal for Participation in the European War 1915-1918

• Time Period: The Great War, Interwar Period
• Year of Institution: 1933
• Country: Bulgaria

The Medal for Participation in the European War 1915-1918 (or За Участие В Европейската Война) was instituted on 9 December 1933 and awarded to Bulgarian and Bulgarian allied force participants of the “1915–1918” war (The Great War). It was issued to all WWI veterans including military personnel, non-combatants (such as medics, war journalists, and civilians) and relatives of KIAs. Also eligible were NCOs, former officers, and soldiers from Central Powers armies.

The medal was awarded until December 31, 1939. About 249,000 medals were issued (about 50,000 to Bulgarians and about 199,000 to allied forces) in three classes.

The Medal for Participation in the European War 1915-1918 Design

The medal is circular and measures 32,1 mm in diameter. It was made of gilt bronze. They were manufactured by the Lüdenscheid-based company “Gebrüder Gloerfeld” (the first lot of 30,000), the Swiss company “Huguenin Gebr.&Co.” (59,000), the Sofia-based manufacturer Бердж Керестеджиев and “Otto Shiсkle”(60,000 medals in 1939).

The obverse of the medal shows a crowned Bulgarian coat of arms imposed on crossed swords and flanked by laurel and oak branches. The reverse shows the dates of the Bulgarian participation in the Great War (“1915-1918”) inscribed in two lines in the centre, encircled by a wreath of wheat, laurel, oak and roses that symbolized Macedonia, Thrace and Moesia.

The ribbon was made of 39 mm wide silk and followed colors of the Bulgarian flag. The medal was awarded to people who did not participate directly in war activities with a central white stripe in the ribbon. Medals for next of kin had a central black stripe.