Belgian set of 14 medals to one man.

[Harry the Mole]

Gentlemen... it has been a few years since I last graced this forum, but hopefully I shall be considerably more active in the future. 

For your perusal, a set of 14  WW1 (and WW2) Belgian medals awarded to the same man. The main set of 11 medals are mounted on an adjustable brass rod, and there can be no doubt that these have always been together. The hidden portion of the ribbons are still very vibrant colours - whereas the exposed portions have faded. The set displays the later 'Yser Cross' rather than the medal, and the Croix de Guerre has the Lion motif on the ribbon. I had to re-mount the whole lot to the velvet card within the frame, but all the main 11 medals remain attached to the brass rod as they were done at the time. There is no name on the photograph, although the cap shows the soldier to have served with the 2nd Infantry regiment. I am hopeful that eventually I will be able to put a name to the picture, a man who has won such honours must surely be listed somewhere. I have a copy of 'LIVRE D'OR DE LA CARTE DU FEU', but so far I have not been able to trace him.

Cheers,

             Steve.

A few more pictures...

[peter monahan]

Very impressive indeed!  Thanks for sharing and good luck in researching this man.

[Stuka f]

Hey Steve,

 

still love that set!

And not able to replace it so far...

;-)

cheers

Kris

Edited August 22, 2018 by Stuka f

[Harry the Mole]

14 hours ago, Stuka f said:

Hey Steve,

 

still love that set!

And not able to replace it so far...

;-)

cheers

Kris

Hi Kris,

The set has come to a good home, and I will not be parting with it. I think that in someone else's hands it might have been broken up to sell as single medals. I will renew my search for the soldier's name soon. 

Cheers,

              Steve

[BalkanCollector]

Such an amazing group!

[Stuka f]

9 hours ago, Harry the Mole said:

Hi Kris,

The set has come to a good home, .....

Cheers,

              Steve

Hey Steve,

I am sure of that and very glad about it! ;-)

[Graf]

Superb Group

[VC89]

I never really trust those portret pictures. Not that I don't believe it was a real soldier and the owner of the medals, but some things are usually off with them. I heard from an other collector once that military 'props" were present in the photo studio, so the shown insignia/uniforms aren't always the one the "model" would wear in active service.

 

In this picture I see the War Cross, Military Decoration 2nd class (no palm, so it should be for long (10 year) service*), Yser-medal (not the cross) and the last one is hard to figure out but doesnt look like one in the frame. I also see 8 frontstripes and no Victory Medal or Commemorative Medal. So if it is his real outfit this means the picture would have been taken late 1918 or early 1919.

 

The Knight in the Order of Leopold (military division), the Knight in the Order of Leopold II and Golden Palms in the Order of the Crown are all consistent with a long service in the military (seeing the bottom medal's inscription "sous-officier" I'm thinking he was a NCO which is also consistent with the Military Decoration, an officer would receive the Military Cross.)

The Crossed Swords on the Knight in the Order of Leopold (created in 1939) indicates that he has won enough "war titles" during the First World War and is placed on the highest medal (knight or higher) in one of the national orders (It doesn't mean he won this medal for his wartime service).

 

*The chevron on the medal in the frame suggest that it was indeed a professional soldier who continued serving after the war and his Military Decoration got upgraded (15 years) to 1st class. Weird since he's also a War Volunteer, but maybe it's possible. Maybe those 4 years of war count for this medal after he left the army after 11 years and volunteered during the war (Just thinking out loud).

 

But then again ... these are Belgian decorations and regulations about them or the strict use of them is not our strong suit 😛

[ostprussenmann_new]

Amazing set.  Thanks for sharing 

[GM1]

On 22/12/2022 at 17:01, VC89 said:

I never really trust those portret pictures. Not that I don't believe it was a real soldier and the owner of the medals, but some things are usually off with them. I heard from an other collector once that military 'props" were present in the photo studio, so the shown insignia/uniforms aren't always the one the "model" would wear in active service. 

 

In this picture I see the War Cross, Military Decoration 2nd class (no palm, so it should be for long (10 year) service*), Yser-medal (not the cross) and the last one is hard to figure out but doesnt look like one in the frame. I also see 8 frontstripes and no Victory Medal or Commemorative Medal. So if it is his real outfit this means the picture would have been taken late 1918 or early 1919.

 

The last medal on the uniform of the picture is the National Committee Medal for the Relief of Belgium, which was a civil organization in charge of helping the starving Belgians during WW1. So this make no sense being a full time militar.

However a stunning group you have there!

 

Cheers

 

GM1

[Harry the Mole]

A bit late in replying, but many thanks for the information. I still have the set, although I am no closer to identifying the individual in the picture. All the items in the frame - including the photo - have always been together. The set was obtained in a house clearance by Kris (Stuka f) a fair few years ago.

 

Cheers,

             Steve