Netherlands Medals to cities ...

[Hendrik]

Gents,

What about trying to establish a list of European cities with the medal(s) they were awarded ? Let me start this topic of with two of them :

Vught in the Netherlands : WW2 Belgian Gratitude Medal, gold class, in recognition of its inhabitants' helpful attitude towards the Belgian prisoners in the German concentration camp there.

Verdun in France : Russian St. George Cross (class ?), British Military Cross, French Legion of Honour (knight class ?) and Croix de Guerre with palm, Italian Gold Medal for Valour, Belgian Order of Leopold I, military division, knight class, Serbian Gold Obilitch Medal and Montenegro Miloch Obilitch Medal.

Looking forward to what the combined brains of the forum members can come up with on this subject !

Cheers,

Hendrik.

[g_deploige]

The Town of Li?ge (Belgium)

Who stopped the first german attack in august 1914

Croix de Guerre italienne,

Croix de Guerre belge 1940 avec palme,

Croix de la L?gion d'Honneur

M?daille militaire pour la bravoure, en or, du Royaume des Serbes

see here olso the photo of the offical cerimony for the L?gion d'honneur, given to the town in 1914 after the first WW with king Albert and Queen Elisabeth, President Pointcar? and Mar?chal Foch of France

Edited October 24, 2006 by g_deploige

[g_deploige]

The Companion of the Liberation Communities

NANTES by decree, 11 November 1941.

GRENOBLE by decree, 4 May 1944.

PARIS by decree, 24 March 1945.

VASSIEUX-EN-VERCORS by decree, 4 August 1945.

ILE DE SEIN by decree, 1 January 1946.

Click here for more info (official website of the Order of Liberation)

[peter monahan]

Not a city, but the Island of Malta got the George Cross, the non-combat equivalent to the VC, for its behaviour during WWII, particularly its steadfastness during the Axis bombing raids early in the war. The GC now features on the flag of the island nation!

Peter

[Piramida]

The City of Belgrade, Serbia, recieved:

L?gion d'Honneur - The only city outside of France with the exception of Luxemburg and Liege. WWI

Czechoslovakian War Cross - WWI

Karageorge Star with Sword - WWI

Order of National Hero - WWII

Another thing that must be noted is that when a collective award is made the awarded class of and order is always the lowest class

[Hendrik]

L?gion d'Honneur - The only city outside of France with the exception of Luxemburg and Liege. WWI

...

Another thing that must be noted is that when a collective award is made the awarded class of and order is always the lowest class

Thanks Gents, keep it going

So, Luxemburg received the L?gion d'Honneur ... At a guess, the city would then also have received the French Croix de Guerre and possibly the Belgian one too ? Anyone who has a clue there ?

Thanks too for the information on the class awarded !

Cheers,

Hendrik

[Piramida]

Btw. I think Verdun also recieved the Portugese Order of the Tower and Sword in october of 1917

And heres the coat of arms of Belgrade

Edited October 24, 2006 by Piramida

[Stijn David]

Hello,

The city of Ypres:

* French : Croix de Guerre

* Englisch : Military Cross

Cordial greetings,

[g_deploige]

68 towns has been decorated with the L?gion d?honneur

L?gion d?honneur French Towns

Chalon-sur-Sa?ne 22/5/1815

Tournus 22/5/1815

Saint-Jean-de-Losne 22/5/1815

Roanne 7/5/1864

Ch?teaudun 3/10/1877

Belfort 19/4/1896

Ramberville 19/4/1896

Saint-Quentin 6/6/1897

Dijon 18/5/1899

Paris 9/10/1900

Bazeilles 9/10/1900

Lille 9/10/1900

Valenciennes 9/10/1900

Landrecies 19/10/1900

Saint-Dizier 16/9/1905

P?ronne 3/10/1913

Verduin 12/9/1916

Bitche 14/6/1919

Reims 4/7/1919

Dunkerque 9/8/1919

Strasbourg 14/8/1919

Phalsbourg 14/8/1919

Arras 30/8/1919

Lens 30/8/1919

Cambrai 13/9/1919

Douai 13/9/1919

Longwy 20/9/1919

Bapaume 10/10/1919

Nancy 11/10/1919

Metz 27/10/1919

B?thune 5/12/1919

Soissons 15/1/1920

Thionville 15/1/1920

Noyon 11/7/1920

Ch?teau-Thierry 17/7/1920

Montdidier 22/9/1924

Nomeny 28/9/1928

Badonviller 20/4/1929

Gerbeville 23/7/1930

Pont-?-Mousson 21/8/1930

Longuyon 21/8/1930

Audun-le-Roman 21/8/1930

Albert 15/4/1932

Boulogne-sur-Mer 10/7/1947

Calais 10/7/1947

Brest 9/2/1948

Abbeville 2/6/1948

Amiens 2/6/1948

Caen 2/6/1948

Saint-L? 2/6/1948

Saint-Malo 8/7/1948

Falaise 21/8/1948

Evreux 27/8/1948

Argentan 28/2/1949

Ascq 28/2/1949

Etobon 28/2/1949

Le Havre 28/2/1949

Lorient 28/2/1949

Lyon 28/2/1949

Oradour-sur-Glan 28/2/1949

Rouen 28/2/1949

Saint-Di? 28/2/1949

Saint-Nazaire 28/2/1949

Beavais 1957

L?gion d?honneur to No French towns

Li?ge (Belgium) 7/8/1914

Belgrado (Serbia) 28/12/1920

Luxembourg 1957

Stalingrad (Russia) 1984

[g_deploige]

18 towns has been decorated by the M?daille de la R?sistance (France)

Bethincourt 15/10/1945

Brest 31/3/1947

Caen 24/4/1946

Caniac du Causse 24/4/1946

La Chapelle-en-Vercors 15/10/1945

Lyon 20/11/1946

Marsoulas 31/3/1947

Meximieux 22/9/1945

Montceau-les-Mines 24/4/1946

Nantua 16/1/1947

Territoire de la nouvelle-Caledonie 24/4/1946

Oyonnax 16/1/1947

Plogasnou 31/3/1947

Saint-Nizier-du-Moucherotte 15/10/1945

Ile de sein 1/1/1946

Tavaux 31/3/1947

Terrou 23/9/1945

Thones 15/10/1945

Click here to see the medal

Edited October 24, 2006 by g_deploige

[g_deploige]

Towns decorated by la Croix de guerre (France)

Duinkerque 1914-1918 1939-1945

Ypres (Belgium) 1914-1918

Toulon 1939-1945

Abbeville 1939-1945

Saumur 1939-1945

Paris 1939-1945

Strasbourg 1939-1945

Caen 1939-1945

Lille 1914-1918 1939-1945

Vassieux-en-Vercors 1939-1945

Lorient 1939-1945

Reims 1939-1945

Tarbes 1939-1945

Verduin 1914-1918 1939-1945

Click here to see croix de guerre 1914-1918

Click here to see croix de guerre 1939-1945

Edited October 24, 2006 by g_deploige

[g_deploige]

Medal ?de la reconnaissance Fran?aise?

French towns

Nemasse

Thonon

Evian

Ceret

Cerb?re

Hochfelden

Click here to see the medal

Edited October 24, 2006 by g_deploige

[g_deploige]

Commeoration medals given to towns

1914-1918

Soissons m?daille de l?Aisne

Varennes-en-Argonne m?daille de l?Argonne

Ramberville m?daille d?Arras

Ch?teau-Thi?rry m?daille de l?Artois

Meaux m?daille de la Marne

Saint-Michel m?daille Saint-Michel

P?ronne m?daille de la Somme

Nieuport (Belgium) m?daille des Trois Cit?s and m?daille de l?Yser

Dixmude(Belgium) m?daille des Trois Cit?s and m?daille de l?Yser

Ypres (Belgium) m?daille des Trois Cit?s and m?daille de l?Yser

Li?ge (Belgium) m?daille de liege

Verdun m?daille de Verdun

1939-1945

Dunkerque m?daille de Dunkerque

Gembloux (Belgium) m?daille de Gembloux, m?daille des Flandres et Dunkerque

Amiens m?daille de la Somme

Metz m?daille de la liberation de Metz

Nancy m?daille de la liberation de Nancy

[g_deploige]

The Town of Lille (France)

Has olso been decorated bij the order of the tower and the Sword of Portugal

[g_deploige]

Verdun has been decorated with 26 medals and is the most decorated town of France

Croix de la L?gion d?Honneur (avec le droit de la faire figurer sur ses armoiries),

Croix de Guerre 1914-1918 avec palme (? la fin de la guerre, la ville est d?cor?e d?une seconde palme),

Croix de Saint-Georges (Russie),

Military Cross (Grande Bretagne et Irlande),

M?daille d?Or de la Valeur Militaire (Italie),

Croix de L?opold 1er (Belgique),

M?daille d?Or de la Bravoure Militaire (Serbie),

M?daille d?Or Obilitch (Mont?n?gro),

Grand Cordon de l?Ordre de la Tour et de l?Ep?e (Portugal),

Grand Cordon du Tigre Tachet? (Chine),

Croix de la Libert? de Premi?re Classe (Estonie),

Croix de Guerre de Premi?re Classe(Gr?ce),

M?daille de la Vertu Militaire(Roumanie),

Croix de Guerre Polonaise(Pologne),

M?daille Comm?morative en Or(Etats-Unis d?Am?rique),

Ordre de Kin Khan (Annam),

Croix de Guerre (Tch?coslovaquie ),

Croix de la Couronne de Ch?ne et M?daille des Volontaires Luxembourgeois (Luxembourg),

M?daille d?Or de l?Ordre Royal (Cambodge),

M?daille du M?rite Militaire Ch?rifien (Maroc),

Ordre du Nichan-Iftikhar (Tunisie),

Croix de l?Ordre Militaire du Lacplesis (Lettonie),

Ordre Royal des Millions d?El?phants et du Parasol Blanc (Laos),

Croix de Saint-Charles (Monaco).

En1948, la Ville de Verdun se vit d?cerner une citation qui lui valut la Croix de Guerre 1939-1945 avec ?toile d?Argent pour s??tre ? montr?e toujours digne de son glorieux pass? ? et avoir men?, ? par tous les moyens, avec t?nacit?, la lutte contre l?occupant ?.

[g_deploige]

Veurne (Furne) in Belgium (Flanders) ols recieved the Croix de Guerre (France) from the French president Poincar? in 1920

[g_deploige]

Diksmuide (Diksmude) Belgium - flanders was the only belgian town who recieved the great Italian War cross in august 1922as ?citta heroica? by the duce of Aosta, send by Mussolini.

[ErikMuller]

Diksmuide (Diksmude) Belgium - flanders was the only belgian town who recieved the great Italian War cross in august 1922as ?citta heroica? by the duce of Aosta, send by Mussolini.

The City of Amsterdam was awarded the Gold Medal of the City of Arnheim in 1946 "for the support of the Municipality of Amsterdam in the relief of the citizens of Arnheim after the plundering and destruction of houses by German occupiers from September 1944 to half of April 1945."

Edited October 25, 2006 by ErikMuller

[g_deploige]

The City of Amsterdam was awarded the Gold Medal of the City of Arnheim in 1946 "for the support of the Municipality of Amsterdam in the relief of the citizens of Arnheim after the plundering and destruction of houses by German occupiers from September 1944 to half of April 1945."

Erik,

do you olso have the arms of coats ot the town of amsterdam with the medal or a picture of this type of medal ?

Guy

[ErikMuller]

Erik,

do you olso have the arms of coats ot the town of amsterdam with the medal or a picture of this type of medal ?

Guy

Since it is not a custom in the Netherlands to decorate cities, none of the Dutch city coats-of-arms have medals in them.

Below is the image of the medal, taken from the annual rapport over 1946 of the City of Amsterdam. The text on the reverse reads as follows:

Aangeboden aan

het Gemeentebestuur

van Amsterdam

uit grote Dankbaarheid

voor de hulp

die de hoofdstad

aan Arnhems burgerij

tot leninging van nood

verleende

17 September 1945

(Presented to the municipality of Amsterdam as a token of Gratitude for the relief the capital offered to the citizens of Arnhem, 17 September 1945).

Edited October 25, 2006 by ErikMuller

[Jacky]

Nice list Guy,

Would it be possible to get a bigger picture of the decorations, it's quite tiny and I would love to see all those medals.

Kind regards,

Jacky

[Hendrik]

Lovely stuff and a wealth of information - many thanks !!! And ... keep them coming

Cheers,

Hendrik

[g_deploige]

Nice list Guy,

Would it be possible to get a bigger picture of the decorations, it's quite tiny and I would love to see all those medals.

Kind regards,

Jacky

Sorry Jacky, I dont have a bigger photo of the medals of verdun, if you want a bigger photo you can asked it at the town of Verdun, here their website http://www.ville-verdun.fr/

[Lukasz Gaszewski]

Places awarded with the Polish order Virtuti Militari:

1. Lw?w (Germ. Lemberg, Ukr. Lviv) - November 11, 1920

2. Verdun - ?

3. Warsaw - December 23, 1940

4. Polish War Cementery at Katyn - 1976 (initially the award of the Polish Gvt. in Exile went to the Katyn Monument in London, after 1991 transferred to the cementery itself).

[Hendrik]

2. Verdun - ?

Hello Lukasz,

Thanks for that information ! Apparently Verdun did not receive the Virtuti Militari but the War Cross (see the earlier post in this thread).

Cheers,

Hendrik