Political Prisoner's Cross 1940–1945

Political Prisoner's Cross 1940–1945
Political Prisoner's Cross 1940–1945 (obverse)
Awarded by Kingdom of Belgium
Type	War medal
Eligibility	Belgian citizens
Awarded for	Arrest and detainment by the Germans as a political prisoner
Status	No longer awarded
Statistics
Established	13 November 1947
Reverse of the Political Prisoner's Cross 1940–1945

Doctor Ivan Colmant, a recipient of the Political Prisoner's Cross 1940–1945

The Political Prisoner's Cross 1940–1945 (French: Croix du Prisonnier Politique 1940–1945, Dutch: Het Politieke Gevangenkruis 1940–1945) was a Belgian war medal established by royal decree of the Regent on 13 November 1947 and awarded to Belgian citizens arrested and interned by the Germans as political prisoners during the Second World War. The award's statute included provisions for posthumous award should the intended recipient not survive detention, and the right of the widow, the mother or the father of the deceased to wear the cross.^[1]

Award description

The Political Prisoner's Cross 1940–1945 was a 37mm wide silver cross pattée. Its obverse bore a 2 cm in diameter central medallion surrounded by barbed wire with an inverted red enamelled triangle with a black capital "B" at its center. The triangle with the "B" represents the insignia internees had to wear on their prisoners' uniforms identifying them as Belgian political prisoners. The reverse also bore a central medallion, this one though was enamelled in black bearing the years "1940 1945" in silver numerals on two rows.^[1]

The cross was suspended by a ring through a suspension loop to a 38mm wide white silk moiré ribbon with six 3mm wide longitudinal blue stripes 3mm apart from each other. These colours represented the striped prisoners' uniforms.^[1]

Silver bars with up to four small five or six pointed stars on them could be worn on the ribbon, each star denoting a period of six months of internment.^[1] Many veterans though opted for small individual silver stars directly affixed to the ribbon. In the case of a posthumous award, a black enamelled bar was worn on the ribbon above the others.^[1]

Notable recipients (partial list)

• Captain Charles de Hepcée
• Doctor Ivan Colmant
• Paul Coart
• Baron Paul of Halter
• Sir René Bauduin
• Walter Ganshof van der Meersch
• Fernand Hanssens
• Lucien Wercollier
• Major General Paul Jacques^[2]
• Police Lieutenant General Oscar-Eugène Dethise^[2]
• Alfons Vranckx^[2]
• Viscount Omer Vanaudenhove^[2]
• Baron Gilbert Thibaut de Maisières^[2]
• Count Jean d’Ursel^[2]
• Count Georges Moens de Fernig^[2]

See also

• 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)

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