The Honour medal for courage and devotion (or “Médaille d’honneur pour acte de courage et de dévouement”) is a French decoration that can be bestowed to individuals and whole units. It is awarded for acts of courage during a rescue.
The Honour medal for courage and devotion was created on 2 March 1820 by King Louis XVIII. It has gone through several designs during its long history. The award was given its present name by a decree of 16 November 1901.
Any person who risks his or her life to come to the rescue of one or many persons in danger, may be recognized with the medal. When the act of rescue does not warrant an award of the medal, a letter of congratulations for a successful rescue or an honorable mention for a recognized meritorious act in the form of an official certificate type scroll may be granted.
The Honour medal for courage and devotion is divided into five grades:
- Bronze (Bronze)
- Silver 2nd class (Argent de 2ème classe)
- Silver 1st class (Argent de 1ère classe)
- Silver-gilt (Vermeil)
- Gold (Or)
The Honour Medal for Courage and Devotion Design
The design of the Honour medal for courage and devotion changed many times through the decades. It is now a 27mm in diameter circular medal struck in bronze, silver, silver-gilt or gold.
Its obverse bears the relief image of a standing woman holding palms and crowns surrounded by scenes of rescues under the relief inscription “DÉVOUEMENT” (“DEVOTION”). The reverse bears along its upper circumference, the relief inscription “RÉPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE” (“FRENCH REPUBLIC”), at its center, the inscription “MINISTÈRE DE L’INTÉRIEUR” (“INTERIOR MINISTRY”) over a framed rectangular area destined to receive the name of the recipient and year of the award.
The medal hangs from a 3cm wide silk moiré tricolour ribbon of equal width blue, white and red vertical stripes. The 3cm wide and 22mm high ribbon suspension loop is cast as an integral part of the medal in the form of oak leaves. The leaves of the suspension loop change colour depending on the grade of the award, bronze for the bronze grade, silver for the silver grade second class, silver-gilt for the silver grade first class and silver-gilt grade, and gold for the gold grade.
Different devices may be worn on the service ribbon to denote the grade of the award when only the ribbons are worn. A plain ribbon is worn for the bronze grade, the silver grade second class is denoted by the addition of a silver five pointed star, a silver and a silver-gilt star for the silver grade first class, a silver-gilt star for the silver-gilt grade and a rosette for the gold grade.
