Civilian Resistance Medal

War service medal of the Kingdom of Belgium

Award

Civilian Resistance Medal

Civilian Resistance Medal (obverse)

Type| War medal
Awarded for| Service in the civilian resistance during World War 2
Presented by|  Kingdom of Belgium
Eligibility| Belgian citizens
Status| No longer awarded
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

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The Civilian Resistance Medal is a circular 39mm in diameter bronze medal. Its obverse bears 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 bears the relief inscription in Latin "RESTITERUNT" meaning "THEY RESISTED" with the years "1940" above and "1945" below. The reverse has a slightly raised border.[1]

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

## Notable recipients (partial list)

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* Baron Charles Poswick[2]

## See also

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* Belgium portal

* Resistance during World War II
* Resistance movement
* Orders, decorations, and medals of Belgium

## References

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1. ^ a b c Royal Decree of 21 March 1951 creating the Civilian Resistance Medal. Belgian government. 1951-03-21.
2. ^ "Necrology of Baron Charles Poswick" (in French). ARS MORIENDI. 2012-07-06. Archived from the original on 2011-09-06. Retrieved 2012-11-18.

## Other sources

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* 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

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* Bibliothèque royale de Belgique (In French)
* Les Ordres Nationaux Belges (In French)
* ARS MORIENDI Notables from Belgian history Archived 2011-09-06 at the Wayback Machine (In French and Dutch)

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Orders, decorations, and medals of Belgium

National orders|

* Order of Leopold
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Pre–1914|

* Civic Guard Merit Medal
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World War I|

* War Cross 1914–18
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World War II
& Korean War|

* War Cross 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 1940–1945 War
* Foreign Operational Theatres Commemorative Medal

Current
military awards|

* Military Decoration for exceptional service, bravery or exceptional devotion
* Military Cross
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* Commemorative Medal for Armed Humanitarian Operations
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* Commemorative medal for missions or operations regarding the operational defense of the territory
* Meritorious Service Medal

Current
civilian awards|

* Civil decoration for acts of bravery, selfsacrifice and philanthropy
* Civil decoration for faithful service
* Labour Decoration
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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
* Commemorative Medal for the "European March of Memory and Friendship"
* "Four Days of the Yser" Commemorative Medal

Belgian Red Cross|

* Order of the Belgian Red Cross
* Blood Donour's Medal
* 1940–1945 Cross of Honour of the Belgian Red Cross
* 1940–1945 Belgian Red Cross Decoration

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