Bill's Belgian Medals

World War II Commemorative Medals

    My collection of commemorative medals has a special fascination but is far from complete. Should any fellow
    collector have a medal with a battle bar or ellipses that I am missing and which they can spare from their
    collection, please email me with you offer and a price. Meanwhile, enjoy my current display.
                                                                                                                                                          Bill Simpson


The Belgian Commemorative Medal of the War 1940-45 was instituted on February 16, 1946 and was awarded to all who had
served between May 10, 1940 and May 7, 1945 in any of the Belgian armed forces, resistance, merchant navy, etc. on the side of
the Allies.  It was also awarded to foreigners.

The Obverse has the large 'V' symbolic of the Victory sign of Churchill fame, together with the head of a roaring lion and the
years 1940 and 1945.  The reverse of the medal bears the bilingual title of the medal.

There are many ribbon attachments that can be worn with this medal including:

Lion - a mention in dispatches.
Red Cross - the recipient was wounded in action.
Bronze bar(s) - POW
Crossed lightning - intelligence work.
Two crossed anchors - Navy.
Star - Colonial Troops.
Crown - Volunteers.
Crossed Sabres - Participated in the Battle of May 1940 (18 day campaign) or civilian participation in resistance (armed resistance
and resistance by clandestine press.)
Battle bars on the commemorative medal ribbons include:

The photographs shown above are from my collection of commemorative medals with battle bars and ellipses.  These devices are
also permitted on the ribbons, but while many are official, there are also quite a few unofficial bars. The official list of bars reads:

Ardennes; Ardennes Belges; Atlantique Nord; Bataille D'Angelterre; Battaille de Belgique 1940; Beauquesne; Belgique;
Campagne D'Allemagne; Campagne De Hollande; Canal Albert; Canal Albert-Kanne; Canal De Terneuzen; Canal de Wessem;
Dieppe; Emden; Escaut; Flandres 1940; Frontiere; Italie; Knesselare; La Dendre 1940; La Gette; La Lys 1940; Liege 1940;
Manche; Namur 1940; Nevele; Normandie; Oldenburg; Ronsele; Vinkt; Walcheren; Winterbeek; Yougoslavie; Zelzate;
Zwinjndrecht.

The ellipses officially sanctioned include:

Allemagne 1944-1945; France 1944; Pays-Bas 1944-1945; Tchecoslovaquie 1945; Ardennes 1944-1945.

The battle bars are also seen with Neerlandaise versions such as Atlantiek Noord; Albert Kanal; Veldtocht Van Holland; De Geet
etc.

Finally, there are various unofficial versions, some of which I have in my collection.  They include:

Westphalen, Saar, Congo, Ruhr and Rheinland.
                                                                      
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Last Updated 25 July 2008