Hendrik

Gentlemen, Many thanks indeed to both of you for the interesting additional information and putting the medal within its timeframe ! Regards, Hendrik

Christophe, Eddie, That was extremely quick ! Thank you both for solving this little problem of mine Regards, Hendrik

Hello, I think the medal below may be Bulgarian, a commemorative medal for the 10th anniversary of something or other ... any information on it would be welcome. Thanks, Hendrik

Ciao Enzo, Many thanks for clearing this matter up ! Best regards, Hendrik

Hello Ulsterman, Unfortunately, there's no such list. Cheers, Hendrik

Hello All, The "I" on the reverse as well as the suspension type point to the above knight class of the Leopold Order having been manufactured by the firm of Wolfers in Brussels. Laurence : that is the correct order of precedence Cheers, Hendrik

Hello Noor, For what it's worth : the Belgian "Military Decoration, Article 4, 2nd class" has the King Leopold II cypher on its reverse and was thus awarded between 1865 and 1910 ... it's likely to be an award for lifesaving. Cheers, Hendrik

Hello JimZ, The picture is a bit fuzzy (but that's how I received it) ... could be LIMB but I think it's LIME - it's supposed to be the name of the recipient of the medal concerned. Cheers, Hendrik

Hello All, I was sent a couple of pictures of this named medal but have no further information on it at all. Couldn't find it in the usual reference sources so any help in identifying it and learning about its creation and award criteria would be welcome ! Looks as if it's an Italian Republic issue but could it be an unofficial one ? Here's the pictures : Thanks ! Hendrik

... and some National Defence Medals' stuff, classes 1 - 3 : Cheers, Hendrik P.S. Ulsterman : I'm off to a militaria sale in Paris on the 20th ... send me a PM on what you would like and I'll see what I can find ...

Hello Gents, A couple of pictures may help to confirm Veteran's post : Army 1st Class Navy 3rd Class As you can see, I'm missing the Air Force one Cheers, Hendrik

Hello Roeland & Christophe, I don't really know in which country - France or the Netherlands - the medal originated but it is a postwar and unofficial one and not Belgian. Apparently awarded to those French soldiers that came to the aid of the Low Countries and, more in particular, were at some time early in the Second World War fighting the German invaders in the south of the Netherlands. Similar postwar and unofficial medals exist for other events, e.g. Dunkirk Medal, Gembloux Medal, ... Cheers, Hendrik

Hello Chris, You were looking with the wrong medal : the Atlantique bar belongs with the WW2 Commemorative Medal ... Cheers, Hendrik

Hello Simon, Rather than a military pass, I think this is the man's military driving licence. Great set of documents !!! Cheers, Hendrik

Hello Zowen, London-made and on the 1st type ribbon is extremely rare !!! Can't even begin to think about a price for it ... Thank you for showing it ! Hendrik

Hello Stefan, This type of crown suspension dates from ca. 1950 and is still in use today. So, quite probably an early 1950's example although, contrary to regulations, unilingual pieces are still made today if the customer so desires ... Cheers, Hendrik

Hello Rick, I guess the answer must be yes : plain with only the inscriptions ... Cheers, Hendrik

Hello Tim, The shape of the crown (in the suspension) usually gives a very good first indication that something is afoot ... Cheers, Hendrik

Nice one, Chris ! It commemorates participation in the so-called "Rif War" in which some well-known commanders took part ... amongst them the then colonel Giraud. Cheers, Hendrik

Hello Ed, Indeed, there can only be the proverbial handful left for this medal to be awarded to. The design seems to want to show off Belgium as the land of comic strips and cartoonists ! It's all in the eye of the beholder I guess Cheers, Hendrik

Hello Kevin, The few surviving invalids concerned will only receive an "Invalid's Card" attesting to their statute of WW2 Civilian Invalid ... the medal, when it eventually becomes available, will have to be purchased by them as per usual. Cheers, Hendrik

... and it's supposed to look something like this : Cheers, Hendrik

Hello All, Today the creation of a new Belgian medal was published in the Belgian governmental "Moniteur Belge" (Staatsblad) : MINISTERE DE LA DEFENSE 10 FEVRIER 2008 Arr?t? royal portant ?tablissement d'une carte relative ? l'attribution du statut de reconnaissance nationale d'invalide civil de la guerre 1940-1945 et portant cr?ation d'une m?dailleALBERT II, Roi des Belges, A tous, pr?sents et ? venir, Salut. Vu l'arr?t? royal du 11 octobre 2006 portant cr?ation du statut de reconnaissance nationale d'invalide civil de la guerre 1940-1945 et plus particuli?rement son article 9 qui dispose que toute d?cision d'attribution du statut d'invalide civil de la guerre 1940-1945 donne lieu ? l'?tablissement d'une carte de reconnaissance nationale dont le Roi d?termine le mod?le et son article 10 pr?voyant qu'il est cr?? une m?daille d'invalide civil de la guerre 1940-1945 dont le Roi d?termine le mod?le; Vu l'urgence motiv?e par le fait que l'arr?t? royal du 11 octobre 2006 est entr? en vigueur le 1erd?cembre 2006 et que la d?tention de la carte et le droit au port de la m?daille r?sultent de la d?cision d'attribution du statut de reconnaissance nationale prise en vertu dudit arr?t?; Consid?rant que tout d?lai suppl?mentaire dans l'ex?cution de la mesure propos?e priverait un nombre consid?rable de titulaires du statut d'invalide civil de la guerre 1940-1945 du droit de porter la pr?sente distinction, en raison du taux de mortalit? consid?rable qui affecte leur tranche d'?ge; Sur la proposition de Notre Ministre de la D?fense, Nous avons arr?t? et arr?tons : Article 1er. Les mod?les de la carte d'invalide civil de la guerre 1940-1945, de couleur bleue, sont annex?s au pr?sent arr?t?. Art. 2. La carte est d?livr?e par le Ministre qui a les Victimes de la Guerre dans ses attributions. Art. 3. Toute modification, rature, surcharge ou autre alt?ration de la carte est interdite. Elle enl?ve toute force probante ? la carte qui est r?put?e annul?e. Art. 4. II est cr?? une m?daille d'invalide civil de la guerre 1940-1945 que peuvent seuls porter les invalides qui font l'objet d'une reconnaissance officielle du statut d'invalide civil de la guerre 1940-1945. Art. 5. La m?daille est en m?tal argent? patin? mat; elle est circulaire et a 37 millim?tres de diam?tre. A l'avers, figurent, en relief, les ?l?ments suivants : au centre, de gauche ? droite, trois ba?onnettes dirig?es vers le haut et un personnage civil se dirigeant vers le c?t? droit. Ce personnage porte un chapeau et un manteau, dont le dos, constitu? de briques, se d?sagr?ge et tombe en morceaux vers le bas. Dans le premier cercle de la m?daille figurent en relief les ?l?ments suivants : en haut, au centre du cercle, qui s'entrouvre ? cet endroit, le petit sceau de l'Etat, r?duit ? l'?cu avec lion, la couronne royale et les deux sceptres, en bas, au centre, la mention 1940-1945; ? droite et ? gauche, des rameaux d'olivier, symboles de la persistance. Au revers, elle porte les mentions suivantes : "BURGERLIJK INVALIDE VAN DE OORLOG 1940-1945", "INVALIDE CIVIL DE LA GUERRE 1940-1945", "ZIVILINVALIDE DES KRIEGES 1940-1945". Art. 6. Le bijou est suspendu par une b?li?re ? un ruban de 37 millim?tres de large. Le ruban de moire blanche, est travers?, dans sa hauteur, au centre, par trois rayures de 3 millim?tres de largeur chacune, repr?sentant le drapeau national et en ses bords ext?rieurs par deux rayures de couleur violette, de 7 millim?tres de largeur chacune. Le ruban peut ?tre port? sans la m?daille. Art. 7. Ni le bijou avec la b?li?re, ni le ruban ne sont d?livr?s par le Gouvernement. Art. 8. Notre Ministre de la D?fense est charg? de l'ex?cution du pr?sent arr?t?. Donn? ? Bruxelles, le 10 f?vrier 2008. ALBERT Par le Roi : Le Ministre de la D?fense, P. DE CREM Annexe ? l'arr?t? royal du 10 f?vrier 2008 portant ?tablissement d'une carte relative ? l'attribution du statut de reconnaissance nationale d'invalide civil de la guerre 1940-1945 et portant cr?ation d'une m?daille Pour la consultation du tableau, voir image Vu pour ?tre annex? ? Notre arr?t? du 10 f?vrier 2008 portant ?tablissement d'une carte relative ? l'attribution du statut de reconnaissance nationale d'invalide civil de la guerre 1940-1945 et portant cr?ation d'une m?daille. ALBERT Par le Roi : Le Ministre de la D?fense, P. DE CREM Publi? le : 2008-03-03 Short description as per the above : - round medal in silvered metal, patinated, matt, 37mm - obverse : from left to right, 3 bajonets pointing upwards and a civilian walking to the right; this civilian wears a hat and a coat, the latter's back being formed of bricks that are breaking up and falling downwards; around the rim is a circle which opens up for the following : at the top the seal of the nation (lion on a shield with the royal crown above and with crossed sceptres lying undereneath); along the bottom rim : 1940-1945, left and right along the rim a laurel branch symbolising persistance. - reverse : the inscriptions "BURGERLIJK INVALIDE VAN DE OORLOG 1940-1945", "INVALIDE CIVIL DE LA GUERRE 1940-1945", "ZIVILINVALIDE DES KRIEGES 1940-1945" (Civil Invalid of the 1940-1945 War) - ribbon : 37mm wide, white moir?, with, in the middle, horizontal tricolour stripes in the national colours (black, yellow, red) and 7 mm violet vertical side stripes. ... better late than never ! Cheers, Hendrik

Hello Rick, Indeed not a common one within a German group. It is most likely an award for a lesser degree of lifesaving (from drowning, from a fire, ...). The status of the person concerned would not be influential to the class of the decoration awarded. Cheers, Hendrik

Hello Roeland, It sounds as if the picture is from before the grand officer class award : as one receives a higher grade in these Belgian orders, the "old" class is no longer worn, only the highest class of each order. I can confirm the Grand Officer class is a breast star only. Cheers, Hendrik