Civilian Resistance Medal

Civilian Resistance Medal
Civilian Resistance Medal (obverse)
Awarded by Kingdom of Belgium
Type	War medal
Eligibility	Belgian citizens
Awarded for	Service in the civilian resistance during World War 2
Status	No longer awarded
Statistics
Established	21 March 1951
Reverse of the Civilian Resistance Medal

The Civilian Resistance Medal (French: Médaille du résistant civil, Dutch: Burgerlijke Weerstandsmedaille) was a war service medal of the Kingdom of Belgium established by royal decree on 21 March 1951 and awarded to all members of the Belgian civilian resistance during the Second World War who were recognised as such by the law of 24 September 1946.^[1]

Award description

The Civilian Resistance Medal was a circular 39mm in diameter bronze medal. Its obverse bore the relief image of the torso of a man breaking free of chains around his wrists, a woman stands behind him and slightly to his left. The reverse bore the relief inscription in Latin "RESTITERUNT" meaning "I RESISTED" with the years "1940" above and "1945" below. The reverse had a slightly raised border.^[1]

The medal was suspended by a ring through a suspension loop from a 37mm wide light green silk moiré ribbon with two central 1mm wide red stripes 5mm apart and 4mm black edge stripes. The colours of the ribbon were symbolic, the black denoting the dark days of the German occupation and/or the clandestine nature of the resistance, the green stood the hope of liberation and the red for the spilled blood of the resistance members.^[1]

Notable recipients (partial list)

• Baron Charles Poswick^[2]

See also

• Resistance during World War II
• Resistance movement
• List of Orders, Decorations and Medals of the Kingdom of Belgium

References

Other sources

• 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)

External links

• Bibliothèque royale de Belgique (In French)
• Les Ordres Nationaux Belges (In French)
• ARS MORIENDI Notables from Belgian history (In French and Dutch)

v t e Orders and Honours of Belgium Current orders Order of Leopold Order of the Crown Order of Leopold II Formerly awarded orders (dormant) Order of the African Star Royal Order of the Lion Pre 1914 war medals and decorations Civic Guard Merit Medal 1830 Star of Honour Iron Cross 1830 Volunteers' Commemorative Cross 1870–71 Commemorative Medal 1914–1918 war medals and decorations Croix de guerre 1914–18 Fire Cross 1914–1918 Yser Medal Yser Cross Volunteer Combatant's Medal 1914–1918 1914–1918 Commemorative War Medal 1914–1917 African Campaigns Commemorative Medal Liège Medal Maritime Decoration 1914–1918 Political Prisoner's Medal 1914–1918 Deportees' Cross 1914–1918 1914–1918 Medal for National Restoration King Albert Medal Queen Elisabeth Medal Inter-Allied Victory Medal 1914–1918 Civic Decoration 1914–1918 Commemorative Medal of the National Committee for Aid and Food 1940–1945 war medals and decorations Croix de guerre 1940–45 Maritime Medal 1940–1945 1940–1945 Military Combatant's Medal Volunteer's Medal 1940–1945 1940–1945 African War Medal 1940–1945 Colonial War Effort Medal Abyssinian Campaigns Commemorative Medal Resistance Medal 1940–1945 Civilian Resistance Medal Civilian Disobedience Medal Political Prisoner's Cross 1940–1945 Prisoner of War Medal 1940–1945 Escapees' Cross 1940–1945 Medal for Resistance against Nazism in the Annexed Territories Medal of the Recruiting Centers 1940 Medal of Belgian Gratitude 1940–1945 Commemorative Medal of the War 1940–1945 Civic Decoration 1940–1945 Post 1945 war medals and decorations Foreign Operational Theatres Commemorative Medal War Volunteer's Medal Current military awards Military Cross Military Decoration Croix de guerre (post-1954) Cross of Honour for Military Service Abroad Commemorative Medal for Armed Humanitarian Operations Medal for Services Rendered Commemorative Medal for Foreign Operations or Missions Medal for Military Merit Commemorative Medal for the "European March of Memory and Friendship" "Four Days of the Yser" Commemorative Medal Current civilian awards Civic Decoration Honour Badge of Labour Labour Decoration Decoration for Mutuality Commemorative medals Commemorative Decoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Creation of the Railroads Commemorative Medal of the Reign of King Leopold II Commemorative Medal for the 75th Anniversary of the Belgian Postal Service Centenary of National Independence Commemorative Medal Commemorative Medal for the Centenary of the Telegraphic Service Commemorative Medal for the 100th Anniversary of the Belgian Postal Service Commemorative Medal of the Reign of King Albert I