Medal of Belgian Gratitude 1940-1945
Medal of Belgian gratitude
TypeMilitary decoration
Awarded forDisplay of humanitarian patriotism by acts of courage
Presented by Kingdom of Belgium
EligibilityBelgian or foreign civilians
ClaspsRed cross, embedded in the medal
StatusDormant
Established1 August 1945
Ribbon
Precedence
Next (higher)Queen Elisabeth Medal
Next (lower)Volunteer combatant medal WW I

The Medal of Belgian Gratitude (French: Médaille de la Reconnaissance Belge; Dutch: Belgische erkentelijkheidsmedaille) is a Belgian medal instituted to be awarded to civilians on 1 August 1945.

Insignia

The medal measures 34 mm in diameter and has an octagonal shape. The obverse depicts a veiled woman (representing Belgium) facing to the right, with a rapier in her right hand, raised in salute. The medal came in 3 versions: gold, silver and bronze.

The reverse bears the inscription “PATRIA GRATA 1940 1945” with a decorative pattern on either side of the inscription. The medal is attached to the ribbon via a laurel wreath. The laurel wreath is open in the center. However, the wreath is filled with a red cross when it is awarded for meritorious service during the administration of aid to the sick or the wounded (Dutch: voor verdienstelijke daden bij hulpverlening aan zieken of gekwetsten).[1]

The ribbon is purple, with 3 central stripes of black, yellow and red, the colors of the Belgian national flag.

Medal of Belgian gratitude in gold, silver and bronze, with and without red enamel cross

Award conditions

The medal of Belgian gratitude was awarded for devotion to philanthropy in order to relieve people from the depravations of the war (Dutch: menslievende instellingen tot leniging van oorlogsnood).

Notable recipients (partial list)

  • The gold medal was awarded to the Dutch town of Vught as a token of gratitude towards its citizens for their acts of compassion towards the Belgian political prisoners held in nearby Herzogenbusch concentration camp.[2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Belgian official journal - Belgische erkentelijkheidsmedaille, ingesteld bij Regents besluit van 1 augustus 1945
  2. ↑ Decree of the Prince Regent of 08 September 1946, gazetted 28 February 1947 (page 2078)
  • Decree of the Prince Regent of 1 August 1945 creating a medal of Belgian gratitude
  • Quinot H., 1950, Recueil illustré des décorations belges et congolaises, 4e Edition. (Hasselt)
  • Cornet R., 1982, Recueil des dispositions légales et réglementaires régissant les ordres nationaux belges. 2e Ed. N.pl., (Brussels)
  • Borné A.C., 1985, Distinctions honorifiques de la Belgique, 1830-1985 (Brussels)
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