Type War medal Established 16 February 1945 | Status No longer awarded | |
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Eligibility Belgian citizens and foreign nationals Awarded for Voluntary enlistment in the Belgian Armed Forces during the Second World War | ||
The Volunteer's Medal 1940–1945 (French: "Médaille du Volontaire 1940–1945", Dutch: "Medaille van de Oorlogsvrijwilliger 1940–1945") was a Belgian war medal established by royal decree of the Regent on 16 February 1945 and awarded to Belgian and foreign civilians who voluntarily enlisted in the Belgian Armed Forces during the Second World War. The medal could also be awarded to volunteers serving in the Belgian units of the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy or British merchant navy.
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Award description
The Volunteer's Medal 1940–1945 was a 38 mm in diameter circular bronze medal. The obverse bore the relief image of a soldier standing at ease holding a rifle with a bayonet, the soldier is superimposed over a large capital letter V in front of a rising sun. The reverse bore the relief image of the Flemish "lion rampant" below the inscription in Latin "VOLONTARIIS", below the lion, the dates "1940" and "1945".
The medal was suspended by a ring through the suspension loop from a 38 mm wide silk moiré ribbon composed of fifteen 2 mm wide alternating red and blue stripes and two 4 mm wide blue edge stripes.
Notable recipients (partial list)
The individuals listed below were awarded the 1940–1945 Volunteer's Medal: