Belgium Belgian Soldier Medals Group

[Igor Ostapenko]

One of 100 Best's Soldiers receive St. George "For Bravery" Medal 4th class in 1915

[g_deploige]

see olso M?dailles de Saint-Georges, R?cipiendaires belges

see olso The russian bar 1916-R-1917

see olso Les Petits Belges en Russie

see olso Belgian Armoured Cars in Russia

But the medal an cross of Saint georges is olso given by the Tsar Nicolas II to belgian soldiers at the belgian Front. In the Archiefs of the Belgian Army (at the Documentation Center of the Royal Army Museum in Brussels) are some letters that mention that the Divisions had to disigne X officiers, x NCO's and X soldiers to recieve a decoration of the Tsar of Russia.

In WW I The allied forces exchanged decorations for there soldiers, the French, Britsch, Servians, Russian etc did it

Edited April 13, 2006 by g_deploige

[Igor Ostapenko]

But the medal an cross of Saint georges is olso given by the Tsar Nicolas II to belgian soldiers at the belgian Front. In the Archiefs of the Belgian Army (at the Documentation Center of the Royal Army Museum in Brussels) are some letters that mention that the Divisions had to disigne X officiers, x NCO's and X soldiers to recieve a decoration of the Tsar of Russia.

This soldier receive Russian Medal on the Belgian Front .

Can you help me ?

I need post address or e-mail of Documentation Center of the Royal Army Museum in Brussels !!!

Thank you !

Igor O.

[g_deploige]

You can find the information on

Documentation center Royal Army Museum Brussels

[Igor Ostapenko]

Thank you !

Tree ays ago I sent e-mail to the Documentation center Royal Army Museum Brussels .

I need ROLL of awarding with numbers of awards and numes of soldiers .

In 1915 y Russian Tzar sent to Belgian King , British King and President of French Republiq

st. George Awards - crosses and medals - for Best's Soldiers .

[Vatjan]

I've got all the names, but alas no numbers.

But I keep digging.

Jan

[Igor Ostapenko]

I've got all the names, but alas no numbers.

But I keep digging.

Jan

Jan !

Can you send me these names ?

Thank you !

[Hendrik]

Hello Igor,

In your group there's the Commemorative Medal of WWI missing. Have you the name of the soldier (and even better : name + unit) that had those medals awarded to him ? If so, it might be possible to find out what devices should be on the ribbon of the Commemorative Medal and see if one can be found ...

Cheers,

Hendrik

[Vatjan]

Jan !

Can you send me these names ?

Thank you !

Yes, I will be finishing the encoding tonight and send it to you later

[Vatjan]

Hendrik, can we learn what grade this guy had from the orders he received, or could even a normal soldier have received these particular orders?

Jan

[Hendrik]

Hendrik, can we learn what grade this guy had from the orders he received, or could even a normal soldier have received these particular orders?

Jan

Hello Jan,

Yes, even a private could get these medals awarded to him although it's fairly safe to say he would not remain one for long : the action(s) for which he received the Leopold II with palm and the War Cross would, in my opinion, be likely to entail a promotion if the recipient was a sergeant or lower in rank. In any case, he was not a professional soldier as the Civil Decoration (for long service in the administration) shows.

Happy Easter !

Hendrik

[Vatjan]

OK, here are the numbers, there might still be a few mistakes in there, but not too many I hope.

Belgian soldiers were awarded, between August 1914 and January 1916, with

30 St Georges crosses 3rd class

69 St Georges crosses 4th class

7 St Georges crosses ??th class (I could not find any precisions for these)

22 St Georges medals 1st class

50 St Georges medals 2nd class

70 St Georges medals 3rd class

104 St Georges medals 4th class

5 St Georges medals ??th class I could not find any precisions for these)

So a total of: 106 crosses and 251 medals

I will try to go to the Documentation centre of the Army Museum in Brussels this week, to try and find the original award paper Guy mentions

Jan

[Vatjan]

These numbers do NOT include the medals given to ACM soldiers at the Russian front

[Igor Ostapenko]

Belgian King Albert recive

Order of st. George 4th class - 05.09.1914

and

Order of st. George 3rd class (neck ) - november 1914

Belgian Lt.-Gen. BERTRAND Victor recive Order of st. George 4th class 27.07.1916

[Igor Ostapenko]

Hier http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtopic=2...indpost&p=69102

we talk about Paul Roze from Belgian Auto-Canon-Machinegun Corps in Russia .

We have 3 Officers from Belgian Auto-Canon-Machinegun Corps in Russia

with Russian st. George Awards too !

Edgard Van Der Donkt , lieutenant

Recive Order of st. George 4th class

(order of 11 Army 25.09.1917 № 676 )

Ippolite Seme , major

Recive Georgian Sword

(order of 11 Army 11.10.1917 № 689 )

Felix Uden , shtabs-kapitan

Recive

Order of st. George 4th class

(order of 11 Army 20.12.1916 № 943 )

& Georgian Sword

(order of 7 Army 21.11.1917 № 1888 )

Edited April 17, 2006 by Igor Ostapenko

[Vatjan]

Belgian Lt.-Gen. BERTRAND Victor recive Order of st. George 4th class 27.07.1916

Thanks for all the info Igor

Here is the citation for Bertrand:

"For courage shown as the commander of the 11th mixed brigade and of the 3rd army division. "

Jan

[Vatjan]

We have 3 Officers from Belgian Auto-Canon-Machinegun Corps in Russia

with Russian st. George Awards too !

Edgard Van Der Donkt , lieutenant

Recive Order of st. George 4th class

(order of 11 Army 25.09.1917 № 676 )

Ippolite Seme , major

Recive Georgian Sword

(order of 11 Army 11.10.1917 № 689 )

Felix Uden , shtabs-kapitan

Recive

Order of st. George 4th class

(order of 11 Army 20.12.1916 № 943 )

& Georgian Sword

(order of 7 Army 21.11.1917 № 1888 )

Hippolyte Semet , major

Receive Georgian Sword

(order of 11 Army 11.10.1917 № 689 )

Also received

-Officer Order of Leopold 1 with palm

-Officer Crown order with palm

-Croix de Guerre with 3 palms

-Belgian allied victory medal

-Commemorative medal 1914-1918

-Order of St Vladimir 3 & 4 class with swords and horizontal ribbon

Felix Oudenne, shtabs-kapitan (SEE PIC IN ATTACH)

Receive Order of st. George 4th class

(order of 11 Army 20.12.1916 № 943 )

& Georgian Sword

(order of 7 Army 21.11.1917 № 1888 )

Also received

-Knight Order of Leopold 1 with palm

-Knight Crown order with palm

-Croix de Guerre with 5 palms and 3 lions

-Yzer medal

-Belgian allied victory medal

-Commemorative medal 1914-1918

-Order of St Vladimir 3rd class with swords and horizontal ribbon

-Order of St Anna 2nd class

-Order of St Stanislas 2nd class

Edited April 17, 2006 by vatjan

[Igor Ostapenko]

I'm sorry for errors in names ,

but I translated from russian

My bad English ...

[Vatjan]

I'm sorry for errors in names ,

but I translated from russian

My bad English ...

Don't worry about it Igor, Belgian names are often written in a "bizarre" way, and your English isn't half as bad as you think

It is just so great to read all this information, this motivates me even more, to do some more digging myself.

Jan

Edited April 18, 2006 by vatjan

[Hendrik]

It is just so great to read all this information, this motivates me even more, to do some more digging myself.

Please do !!! I'm quite enjoying reading this thread ... Captain Oudenne's awards are exceptional - Do you have the texts of the 8 citations as well ?

Hendrik

[g_deploige]

Belgian King Albert recive

Order of st. George 4th class - 05.09.1914

see her the St George 4th class from king Albert I on exhebition in the Royal Army Museum in Brussels

Edited April 18, 2006 by g_deploige

[Igor Ostapenko]

Today I recive e-mail from Brussel

Dear sir

Unfortunate we cannot help you. We don't have such lists.

Sincerely

Dr. Richard Boijen

Head Documentation Centre - Royal Army Museum Brussels

[g_deploige]

The problem is that in may 2002 the belgian gouvernement got back after 60 year their own archiefs from Russia, see Archief from Moscow and second part

This archive has been stollen by the Germans in 1940, recuperated by the Russians in 1945. Its is only in 2000-2001 that a belgian researcher found back this archive in Moscow. It was not easy to got back that archive to Belgium.

It is about 6 trucs full of paper

For all this an inventory has to be made, it is a titan work, in the documentation center only 2 persons works on a little resarch, normaly when you are going there you have to do the research yourself.

And I think Vatjan is doing a good job on that point

Edited April 18, 2006 by g_deploige

[Ed_Haynes]

. . . normaly when you are going there you have to do the research yourself.

I'd go beyond this: Normally, researchers do their own work. Most archives do not have people on staff to do people's work for them. Research, after all is a lot of work . . . and a lot of fun. Those who have these skills sell them for more than the cost of a postage stamp. Those who collect British or Soviet awards know this.

[Stogieman]

... as opposed to American stuff... for $10 a name, you can pull enlistment cards, etc in the DC archives.. Adam Rohloff does this on a first-come, first-served basis. St. Louis...... free, but a roll of the dice. I was very lucky and bumped into one of the more conscientious workers who went way beyond the normal pro-forma stuff they spit back.... but it truly is a roll of the dice. send the same name in 3 times... twice "sorry, no records found"... third time, 168 pages of a file copied.

;>)

It is a Gub'mint job after all.