Bill's Belgian Medals, World War 2, Resistance Medals, Battle Bars

Bill's Belgian Medals

A Collector's View

I have finally returned to the UK after

three separate

trips to New York

where I have been working with my

editor at completing the biography I

have been writing

for the last two

years.

There has therefore been no

opportunity to update my

web site and

I have only been able to add a few

medals

to my collection.

I will be updating my website later this

week.

Bill Simpson

Copyright Bill Simpson © 2006

The collection of

1940-45

Commemorative

Medals shown

below

are an

exciting

addition

to my

collection

of

Commemorative

Medals which

are

featured in

my World

War 2

section of this

website.

If you click on

the

medal at left,

you will

those

medals in a

new

page.

Of course, I am

always trying to

add

those bars

which

have

eluded me so far.

The purchase of the Article 4 medal was

made, not just

because it is Belgium's highest

bravery award, but

because it is a nice variety

if the 'A' on the reverse.

Below are other interesting recent additions

to my

collection.

There are many ribbon attachments that can be worn with this medal and the medals above including a Lion - a mention in

dispatches; a Red Cross - the

recipient was wounded in action; Crossed lightning - intelligence work; Two crossed anchors - Navy;

Star - Colonial Troops and Crown - Volunteers. There

are also the more common Crossed Sabres - the individual participated in the

Battle of May 1940 (18 day campaign) or civilian participation in resistance

(armed resistance and resistance by clandestine press.)

There are many battle bars and ellipses on commemorative medal 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. (Those marked in

white are in my collection - those in yellow, I am still searching for.)

However, I have also seen bars with

Diksmuide (above), Liege (Above), Lys (above), Moyen-Orient (above), Namur, Nederland

1940/45 (above), Nigerie

(above), Pays Bas 1944-45 (Above), Rhur (below), Rheinland (below), Saar (below), Selzeate (above) and

Tchecoslovaquie 1945 (above).There are even

African service bars - see below - Katanda; Gandijika and Baxwanda.

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;

Duitsland 1944/45,

Veldtocht

Van Holland; De Geet etc.

Last Updated 17 November 2007