1

RESERVE-LIEUTENANT FERDINAND VERLEYEN 18th REGIMENT OF THE LINE

Ferdinand Verleyen served during the First World War as a Reserve-Lieutenant in the Belgian 18th Regiment of the Line. Details about his service career and personal information, is very limited and it is not possible to fully complement the life history of this gallant Belgian soldier. Perhaps if it was possible to access archival material about him from Belgian sources then perhaps the information would be more forthcoming. It would be helpful if the date of his birth was known or more information relating to him joining the army.

Ferdinand Verleyen (Date When The Original Black & White Photograph Was Taken Unknown) 2

It is known that after the First World War he was living in Etterbeck, where most probably he was born. Etterbeek is one of the nineteen municipalities in the -Capital Region of Belgium. It neighbours the municipalities of the City of Brussels, Ixelles, Audergham, Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, Woluwe-Saint-Lambert and Schaerbeek. In common with all the Brussels municipalities, it is legally bilingual – French and Dutch.

The first documented reference to Etterbeek is the building of a church in the 8th century. The name has Celtic roots, ‘ett’ meaning ‘rapid movement and the Dutch word ‘beek’ meaning ‘stream’ is recorded on a document dated 1127. Its current spelling dates from 1138 when construction on a new church began. In the Middle Ages, Etterbeek was a rural hamlet independent from Brussels except from a beer tax given to Brussels circa 1300 by John II, Duke of Brabant. In 1489, Albert Duke of Saxe ransacked Etterbeek in his pursuit of rebels who fought against Maximilian of Austria. The village was again destroyed in 1580 by the iconoclasts during the Protestant Reformation wars.

Medal Group Of Reserve-Lieutenant Ferdinand Verleyen ~ Belgian 18th Regiment Of The Line Display Includes His Miniature Medals, Fire Card 65mm Bronze Medallion, 20th Anniversary Bronze Medallion Of The Union Of Veterans Organisations & Small Sepia Photographs Of His Mother & Father* 3

In 1673, Etterbeek gained its independence from neighbouring Sint-Genesius-Rode, when Charles II of Spain promoted it into a barony. The first baron was Don Diego-Henriquz de Castro, general treasurer of the armies. The Castro house was sold in 1767 and can still be seen today as Etterbeek’s oldest building. Under the French regime, Etterbeek was made into a commune, within the canton of Sint-Stevens-Woluwe.

From then on and especially after the Belgian Revolution of 1830 and the development of Brussels as a capital city, the population of Etterbeek grew quickly. In 1876 there were more than 10,000 inhabitants, in 1900 more than 20,000 and in 1910 more than 33,000. In early decades of the 20th century, under the reign of Leopold II, construction boomed and changed the town’s character with the addition of the broad avenues and residential areas.

A Belgian family history web-site mentions a Ferdinand Verleyen born in 1901 in Etterbeek. Whether this refers to the Reserve-Lieutenant Ferdinand Verleyen is uncertain. The, former person would have been 13 years of age on the outbreak of the Great War. Was he too young for military service? Possibly he could have joined the Army two or three years later, say in 1917, if so as an officer? Without further detailed information all has to be considered speculative. However, the front-line war service of Reserve-Lieutenant Ferdinand Verleyen entitled him to five ‘frontstripes’ having served two-an-a-half years at the front – the maximum number of ‘frontstripes’ was eight for the four years of the 1914-1919 war. His entry in the Fire Card Guestbook referred to below is at the bottom of page 1378 (the book has 1456 pages), confirms his name, address, book number, page, rank, regiment and presence of a photograph. Despite the sparse details about Reserve-Lieutenant Ferdinand Verleyen, his medal group bears witness to a brave and courageous Belgian soldier.

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BELGIAN SOLDIERS ~ FIRST WORLD WAR ~ Article by Tom Simoens – Royal Military Academy

Introduction

Belgium went to war with 200,000 men out of a male population of 3,680,790 – 90% of them were draftees civilians in uniform, the rest were professional soldiers or officers. Belgian soldiers were called Jass (the Dutch word for coat) or Piottes, both pre-war terms for draftees. Between 1915 and 1918 the army had an average strength of 137,000. In total some 320,000 men served in the .

More conscripts reinforced the ranks during the hostilities (70,000 in total, mainly from the Belgian diaspora – one out of five Belgians became refugees in 1914). Some 50,000 war volunteers joined them, many of them escaped from occupied Belgium through the Netherlands. Among the latter were many bourgeois who gradually rose to the rank of junior officer.

Separated From The Home Front

The fate of the Belgian soldiers was in many aspects different from that of their French, British and German counterparts. First they were separated from their loved ones in occupied Belgium, though it should be noted that the same goes for some of the French soldiers from the northern departments. A Belgian soldier could not return home when he was on leave. Instead he spent his holidays in or Great Britain, an expensive journey. Non-profit organisations supported the poorest soldiers in making the trip.

Like everywhere, letters and trench newspapers were subjected to military censorship. However, the Belgian military also had very little information about life on the home front. The rare news received was not reassuring since soldiers’ families were suffering under German occupation. Local news from home was immediately shared in the trench newspapers which had very strong regional and religious content. The rare opportunities of correspondence with the home front were slow and uncertain, since all letters had to be smuggled over the Dutch-Belgian border.

Poor Living & Welfare Conditions

Second, the Belgian soldiers’ daily life in the rear zone was marked by several difficulties. Their pay was poor compared to French and British colleagues. They ate unhealthy and unbalanced food. Moreover, the Belgian army was slow at organizing an official system of welfare, education and entertainment. Only from 1917 on did the army start to take care of shops, sports 5 competitions, education, libraries etc. Until then these activities had been a private initiative, mostly lead by organisations with catholic roots (e.g. study groups).

Casualties

Third, it’s important to stress that more than 40,000 Belgians died during the First World War despite a unique defensive military strategy. This represents a death rate of 12·5 percent. Belgian soldiers died at an average age of twenty-six years. In the trenches the harsh living conditions in flooded areas caused many diseases. One-third of all deadly casualties in trench warfare were due to illness (compared with one out of six for other belligerents). Belgian army divisions spent nearly all their time on the frontline, whereas their German opponents or allied friends were often recalled for training and rest periods. Furthermore, 77,422 were wounded and hospitalized while 122,987 were hospitalized for illness. Some 41,000 Belgians were taken prisoner. Belgian soldiers fought and died in their trenches on the front of the River, north of the Ypres salient. In the first months of the war they were also engaged in severe battles in Liège and () and around Antwerp (August-October 1914). The deadliest days of the war were 28th September 1918 (the first day of the Liberation Offensive – 1,036 dead) and 12th September 1914 (fighting around Antwerp – 893 dead).

Scarcity of Sources

Despite a literacy rate of more than 90%, only a limited number of published and unpublished memoirs and letters are available. So far, only partial quantitative and qualitative studies have been undertaken based on lists of casualties or judicial records. It is therefore impossible to form answers to general questions such as why did soldiers fight during the war. Only a few Belgian historians have done innovative research on this topic and came to the conclusion that both consent (the war is right; the country in general and the home town in particular have to be liberated) and repression (fear of punishment) played an important role in the soldier’s thinking. Moreover, soldiers came from different social groups – the infantrymen, for instance were composed of 25% farmers, 60% industrial workers and 15% traders. Therefore, a universal “Belgian soldier” simply did not exist.

Military Discipline

The war had an impact on military discipline. Due to the harsh living and fighting conditions in and behind the trenches, young officers and NCO’s were forced to live closer to their men than ever before. Imposing a rigid and formal discipline (as the army command wanted) was all but easy. Therefore, military discipline became more informal, based on mutual respect. Soldiers 6 often “negotiated” successfully with their superiors to loosen the discipline by protesting individually or collectively. However, there were never mutinies or armed resistance. Twelve soldiers were executed – seven in 1914, three in 1915 and two in 1918. Two were sentenced to death for killing a superior; one who killed his pregnant girlfriend and was guillotined on the 26th March 1918.

The most important tension was between the Flemish (Dutch-speaking) soldiers and their French-speaking superiors. French was the overall command language. It was used for all orders, official publications and instruction trainings. This linguistic tension was increased by an overrepresentation of Flemish soldiers. 70% of the dead of 1915-1918 were Flemish, whereas they made up only 55% of the Belgian population in 1910. This number and the discussion of whether Flemish soldiers paid a too high price compared to French-speaking Belgians, is still an issue today, in particular among Flemish nationalists.

Some Flemish Catholic and intellectuals started a secret movement within the army, the Frontbeweging that pressed for more linguistic rights for Dutch speakers. The movement garnered no fewer than 5,000 members. In 1917 and 1918 their frustration led to a series of demonstrations and riots in the rear zone, Red flags also appeared. High Command only made small concession to the Flemish military, e.g. officers had to pass a (ridiculously easy) language test and official texts were translated into Dutch. On the one hand the Belgian soldiers suffered from the same poor living conditions and daily violence in the trenches. On the other hand, their fate was different than that of their British or German counterparts, e.g. the separation from their loved ones in occupied Belgium. The latter turned out to be an important factor of frustration and a good motivator at the same time.

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ORDER OF LEOPOLD 1 – MILITARY DIVISION

History

The of Leopold – (Dutch: Leopoldsorde ~ French: Orde de Leopold I) – is one of three current Belgian national honorary orders of knighthood. It is the oldest and highest order of Belgium and is named in honour of its founder King Leopold I. It consists of a military, a maritime and a civil division. The maritime division is only awarded to personnel of the merchant navy and the military division to military personnel. The decoration was established on the 11th July 1832 and is awarded by Royal Order.

Reserve-Lieutenant Ferdinand Verleyen Order Of Leopold I – Military Division (Knight) With Crossed Swords

When Belgium became independent of the Netherlands, there was an urgent need to create a national honour system that could serve as a diplomatic gift. The national congress provided this exclusive right to the sovereign, this military honour system was written in Article 76. The first King of the Belgians, , used his constitutional right in a larger way than foreseen: not only military merit, but every service in honour of the Kingdom. Two years after the independence, the young King officially founded the dynastic Order of Leopold. The king 8 approved the colour and grades both civil and military, and the official motto L’Union fait la Force/Endracht maakt Macht.

In 1832 Felix de Merode had a design approved by the Chambers for military and civil merit. This system was adapted from other European countries. More specific, the Order of Leopold is based on the French honour tradition with five classes. On the 11th June 1832 the law was promulgated and the exact colours were defined; Article 2: “Le ruban sera ponceau moiré”. The devise was presented in the 3rd article: L’union fait la Force.

The Belgian court often used the Grand Cordon as a valuable diplomatic gift. However in the second half of the 19th century, the court also used it as a dynastic order to bestow on family members during major family celebration. The founder gave his French family Grand Cordons as wedding gifts. During weddings the Belgian court sent large numbers of crosses to the new family and its court. For the wedding of Rudolf and Stephanie the father of the bride sent twenty Grand Cordons to the Austrian Court. In return the Belgian court received decorations; these gifts were part of negotiations of the weddings. The order was bestowed by King Leopold II on Prince Karl Anton of Hohenzollern and Ernst Gunther, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein as a personal marriage gift. In 1878 the King named several diplomatic dignitaries Grand Cordon in honour of his silver wedding celebrations.

In 1900 the occasion of the wedding of Prince Albert was used to send fifteen Grand Cordons to the Bavarian Court. Among the recipients were Luitpold, Prince of and his two sons, Princes Ludwig (the future Ludwig III of Bavaria) and Arnulf, Duke Louis of Bavaria and the father of the bride Karl Theodore, Duke in Bavaria. The brother of the new Princess, Duke Ludwig Wilhelm was still a minor at the time of the wedding, and Minister de Favareau opposed this wedding gift for an adolescent. However, the young prince aged 14 received the gift by royal decree. People who fought in the Belgian revolution became members in great numbers. In 1838 the King lost his right to create members, this was from then on the responsibility of the foreign office.

In 1919 King Albert granted all Lieutenant-Generals of the Belgian Army the Grand Cordon in Brussels, and it was also bestowed on Major-Generals. There were also foreign recipients and one to the rare ladies in the order, Countess Renée de Merode. The order can be bestowed post- mortem and it can also be withdrawn from recipients. After the Second World War, the Order of Leopold was bestowed on the several officers of foreign militaries who had helped to liberate Belgium from the occupation of German forces. 9

The most illustrious was the Grand Cordons with Palms given by the King to Sir Winston Churchill and Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1945. Today membership can only be granted by decree of His Majesty King and is reserved to the very most important Belgian nationals and to some distinguished foreign persons who contributed in one way to the Belgian military, the Belgian civil society or the Belgian State. Annually, there are two major days when the King normally grants membership, on April 8th (King Albert I’s birthday) and on November 15th (Day of the Belgian ).

During state visits, the Order of Leopold is the most important diplomatic gift of the state. In 2015 some protest was noted when King Phillipe offered the Grand Cordon to President Erdogan of Turkey during his state visit in Belgium.

Classes

The Order of Leopold is issued in five classes:

a) Grand Cordon (‘Grand Cordon/Grootlint’), who wears the badge on a collar (chain) or on the right shoulder, plus the star on the left side of the chest. b) Grand Officer (‘Grand Officer/Grootofficer’), who wears a badge on a necklace, plus a star on the left side of the chest (created on the 31st December 1838). c) Commander (‘Commandeur’), who wear he badge on a necklace. d) Officer (‘Officer’), who wears the badge on a ribbon with on the left side of the chest. e) Knight (‘Chevalier/Ridder’), who wear the badge on a ribbon on the left side of the chest.

All five classes come in three divisions (civil, military and maritime). No membership can be granted to a person before the age of 42, except in the military division. Only the Belgian king is entitled to chair the order and to be named Grand Master (‘Grand Maître/Grootmeester’).

Grand Cordon

The Grand Cordon title is reserved in general for other monarchs, heirs, foreign heads of state, general, cardinals, ministers’ of state, Prime Ministers and high diplomats. The Belgian Court has granted the Grand Cordon to all of its family members often considered a personal marriage gift of the king.

The Court has sent grand cordons to other dignitaries like ambassadors, cardinals, important artists and in exception high functionaries. As of the class of commander the decision must be 10 approved by the Council of Ministers. Following the tradition, it is not allowed that a Belgian minister can accept this gift from the King during the period of public office.

Insignia

The collar of the order is in gold, with nine crowns, nine face-to-face monograms “LR” (for “Leopoldus Rex” for King Leopold I), and eighteen lions.

The badge of the order is white-enameled , in silver for Knight class and in gold for higher classes, with a green-enameled wreath of laurel and oak leaves between the arms of the cross. The obverse central disc features a lion on a black enamel background; the reverse central disc has a face-to-face monogram “LR” (for King Leopold I); both discs are surrounded by a red enamel ring with the motto “Unity Is Strength” in French (L’union fait la force) and in Dutch (Eendracht maakt macht). The cross is topped by a crown, which might have crossed swords (military division) or anchors (maritime division) underneath it. The civil division has neither swords nor anchors.

The plaque of the order is an eight-pointed faceted silver star for the Grand Cordon class, and a silver faceted Maltese Cross with straight rays between the arms for the Grand Officer class. The central disc has a lion on a black enamel background, surrounded by a red enamel ring with the motto as on the badge. Golden crossed swords or anchors might be added behind the medallion, depending on division. The ribbon of the order is usually plain purple. However, if the order is awarded in special circumstances, the ribbon of the Officer and Knight classes show the following variations:

a) Crossed swords are added to the ribbon when awarded in wartime (if the order was awarded during the Second World War or during the Korean War, a small silver bar is added to the ribbon mentioning the name of the war). b) The ribbon has a vertical gold border on both sides when awarded for a special act of valour at war. c) The ribbon has a central vertical gold stripe when awarded for an exceptionally meritorious act in wartime. d) A silver star is added to the ribbon when awarded for meritorious acts of charity. e) A gold star is added to the ribbon when the recipient has been mentioned in dispatches at the national level. f) Silver or gold are palms are added to the ribbon when awarded in wartime to military personnel. 11

Stars and borders or stripes can be awarded together, but these deviations are currently only rarely awarded. The colour of the ribbon has varied during the 19th century from red to purple. Ribbon bars are worn on the semi-formal dress uniform. Since 1921, insignias of the order not awarded in wartime have to be purchased by the recipient.

Current Award Conditions Of Belgian National Orders

National orders are awarded by royal decree at fixed dates: 8th April (Birthday of King Albert I), 15th November (King’s Feast), and in some cases on 21st July (Belgian national holiday) to reward meritorious services to the Kingdom of Belgium based on the career path and age of the recipient. A number of different regulations rule the award of national order for the various ministries. In addition the national orders may be awarded by the king for especially meritorious deeds. The royal decrees, except for conferrals on foreigners, are published in the Belgian Official Journal (Moniteur Belge).

The minister responsible for Foreign Affairs, currently the Federal Public Service (SPF/FOD) Foreign Affairs, administers the national orders and has a role of advisor in cases not fitting within a regulation. For the award of national orders for persons to which no regulation apply or has been adopted the number of awards is limited every year by decision of the Council of Ministers. The classes of the national orders are integrated in a combined hierarchy defined by law, whereby within one class the Order of Leopold is senior to the Order of the Crown, which is senior to the Order of Leopold II.

Except in some specific cases, one cannot be awarded a national order at a level below the highest that the recipient has already received (e.g. a commissioned officer who become a Commander of the Order of Leopold II because of meritorious personal service to the king before he became a Knight of the Order of Leopold may not be awarded the latter decoration or that of Officer of the Order of Leopold). Persons who are the subject of criminal proceedings will usually not be awarded a national order until they are declared not guilty.

Award Of The Order Of Leopold In The Military Division

The Order of Leopold in the Military Division (with crossed swords under the crown) is awarded to military personnel on the basis of their length of service, with the years of initial training counting for half and the first twelve years of service as member of the flying personnel counting double:

a) Grand Officer: Awarded to a Lieutenant-General after holding that rank for about 2 years, for exceptional services to the Armed Forces; 12

b) Commander: Awarded after 35 years of meritorious service to a general officer; c) Officer: Awarded after 28 years of meritorious service to a field officer; d) Knight: Awarded after 20 years of meritorious service to a commissioned officer within a minimum rank of Captain and after 40 years of meritorious service for a non- commissioned officer;

The years of service that are counted to calculate the eligibility of the award are not necessarily equal to the (calendar) years of duty. Additional bonuses can be earned for service in the air (an heritage coming from King Albert who wanted to bestow extra credit upon pilots in the First World War, who often faced great danger in a new and experimental military branch) or on the battlefield (during wartime) and years of service as a non-commissioned officer or as enlisted personnel count as half for the awards made to officers. For awards to military personnel, there is no minimum age requirement. The Order of Leopold is also sometimes awarded to military personnel not meeting the above requirements when they have performed especially meritorious services to the king.

Award Of The Order Of Leopold In The Maritime Division

The order in the Maritime Division (with crossed anchors under the crown) is only awarded to members of the merchant navy, as members of the Belgian Navy are awarded the order in the Military Division. The Order of Leopold is currently almost never awarded in the Maritime Division.

Award Conditions For Long Civilian Service

The Knight’s Cross of the Order of Leopold may be awarded to workers in the private sector of contractual employees of the public sector after fifty-five years of professional activity. The Knight’s Cross of the Order of Leopold is also awarded to the members of the national and provincial committees for the promotion of labour who have reached the age of 42 after a tenure of 20 years (national committee) or 30 years (provincial committee).

The Association Of The Order Of Leopold

Founded in 1932 on the occasion of the centenary of the creation of the Order of Leopold as “Société d’entraide des membres de l’Ordre de Léopold”/“Vereniging tot onderlinge hulp aan de leden van de Leopoldsorde” (Mutual aid society for the members of the Order of Leopold), the Association of the Order of Leopold (Vereniging van de Leopoldsorde in Dutch, Société de l’Ordre de Léopold in French) is a private association, that is headquartered in Brussels. 13

ORDER OF THE CROWN

The Order of the Crown (French: Ordre de la Couronne, Dutch: Kroonorde) is a national order of the Kingdom of Belgium. The Order is one of Belgium’s highest honours.

History

The Order was established on the 15th October, 1897 by King Leopold II in his capacity as ruler of the . The order was first intended to recognize heroic deeds and distinguished service achieved for service in the Congo Free State – many of which acts soon became highly controversial. In 1908, the Order of the Crown was made a national honour of Belgium, junior to the Order of Leopold.

Reserve-Lieutenant Ferdinand Verleyen Order Of The Crown With Crossed Swords

Currently, the Order of the Crown is awarded for services rendered to the Belgian state, especially for meritorious service in public employment. The Order of the Crown is also awarded for distinguished artistic, literary or scientific achievements, or for commercial or industrial services in Belgium or Africa. The Order may also be bestowed to foreign nationals and is frequently awarded to military and diplomatic personnel of other countries stationed in (or 14 providing support to) Belgium. During the Second World War, the Order of the Crown was extensively authorized for award to Allied military personnel who had helped to liberate Belgium from the occupation forces of Nazi . The Order of the Crown is awarded by royal decree.

Classes

The Order of the Crown is awarded in five classes, plus two palms and three medals:

a) Grand Cross, which wears the badge on a sash on the right shoulder, plus the star on the left chest. b) Grand Officer, which wears a star on the left chest, and may also wear the neck badge. c) Commander, which wears the badge on a neck ribbon. d) Officer, which wears the badge on a ribbon with rosette on the left chest. e) Knight, which wears the badge on a ribbon on the left chest. f) Golden Palms, which wears a wreath of golden palms on a ribbon on the left chest. g) Silver Palms, which wears a wreath of silver palms on a ribbon on the left chest. h) Gold Medal, who wears the medal on the left chest. i) Silver Medal, who wears the medal on the left chest. j) Bronze Medal, who wears the medal on the left chest.

Insignia

The badge of the Order is a white-enameled Maltese cross with straight rays, in silver for the Knight class and in gold for the higher classes. The obverse disc has a gold crown on a blue enameled background; the reverse central disc has the face-to-face monogram “L” (for King Leopold II) on a blue enameled background. The badge is suspended from a green-enameled wreath of laurel and oak leaves.

The plaque for Grand Cross is a faceted silver five-pointed star with golden rays between the branches of the star. The centre shows the obverse of a commander’s cross. The plaque for Grand Officer is a faceted five-armed ‘Maltese asterisk’ with golden rays between the arms. The centre shows the obverse of an officer’s cross.

The medal is round in gold, silver and bronze versions, with a suspension in the form of a royal crown with two pendelia and a ribbon ring. The obverse shows a finely ribbed central area with bead surround, with the royal crown superimposed. The surrounding circlet carries the motto of the : Travail et Progrés (work and progress) – the later issues are bilingual including the Dutch Arbeid en Voorritgang in the lower half of the circlet. The reverse is a 15 stylized ‘double L’ crowned Leopold II monogram within a palm wreath. The ribbon of the order is usually plain maroon. However, if the order is awarded in special circumstances, the ribbon of the Officer and Knight classes show the following variations:

a) Crossed swords are added to the ribbon when awarded in wartime (if the order was awarded during the Second World War or during the Korean War, a small bar is added to the ribbon mentioning the name of the war). b) The ribbon has a vertical gold border on both sides when awarded for a special act of valour. c) The ribbon has a central vertical gold stripe when awarded for an exceptionally meritorious act. d) A gold star is added to the ribbon when the recipient has been mentioned in despatches at the national level. e) Silver or gold palms are added to the ribbon when awarded in wartime to military personnel.

Stars, palms, borders or stripes can be awarded together, but these deviations are currently only rarely awarded. The ribbon of the palms and medals has a vertical white border on both sides as well as a metal pin showing a reduction of the palm or medal. A ribbon bar is worn on the semi- formal dress uniform. Despite the fact that, in contrast to the Order of Leopold, no maritime division of the Order of the Crown exists, some unofficial decorations with crossed anchors under the wreath are known to exist.

Award Conditions – Current Award Conditions of Belgian National Orders

National orders are awarded by royal decree at fixed dates: 8th April (birthday of King Albert I), 15th November (King’s Feast), and in some cases on the 21st July (Belgian national holiday) to reward meritorious services to the Kingdom of Belgium based on the career path and age of the recipient. A number of different regulations rule the award of national orders for the various ministries. In addition, the national orders may be awarded by the king for especially meritorious deeds.

The royal decrees are published in the Belgian official journal, Moniteur Belge. For people who are not Belgian, honours are not published in the Moniteur and bestowed all year round by the foreign office. The ministry responsible for foreign affairs, currently the Federal Public Service (SPF/FOD) Foreign Affairs, administers the national orders and the minister has the role of adviser in cases not fitting within a regulation. For the award of national orders for persons to 16 whom no regulation applies or has been adopted, the number of awards is limited every year by decision of the Council of Ministers.

The classes of the national orders are integrated in a combined hierarchy defined by law, whereby within one class the Order of Leopold is senior to the Order of the Crown, which is senior to the Order of Leopold II. Except in some specific cases, one cannot be awarded a national order at a level below the highest that the recipient has already received (e.g. a commissioned officer who become a Commander of the Order of Leopold II because of meritorious personal service to the king before he became a Knight of the Order of Leopold may not be awarded the latter decoration or that of Officer of the Order of Leopold). Persons who are subject of criminal proceedings will usually not be awarded a national order until they are declared not guilty.

Award Conditions To Military Personnel

The Order of the Crown is awarded to military personnel on the basis of their length of service, with the years of training counting for half and the first twelve years of service as member of the flying personnel counting double:

a) Grand Officer: Awarded after 38 years of meritorious service to a general officer with minimum rank of lieutenant-general. b) Commander: Awarded after 32 years of meritorious service to a field officer with minimum rank of colonel. c) Officer: Awarded after 25 years of meritorious service to a commissioned officer with minimum rank of captain. d) Knight: Awarded after 15 years of meritorious service to a commissioned officer and after 35 years of meritorious service for a non-commissioned officer. e) Golden Palms: Awarded after 25 years of meritorious service to a non-commissioned officer, and after 35 years of service for a private or corporal. f) Silver Palms: Awarded after 30 years of meritorious service for a private or corporal.

For awards to military personnel there is no minimum age requirement.

Award Conditions For Long Civilian Service

The palms and the medals of the Order of the Crown may be awarded to workers in the private sector or contractual employees of the public sector, as well as some public sector employees such as prison supervisors, ushers, burgomasters, police commissioners, local police officers or members of town councils. 17

a) Golden Palms: Awarded after 45 years of professional activity or at the time of retirement after having worked for a minimum of 40 years. b) Gold Medal: Awarded after 35 years of professional activity.

In addition, the Gold Medal, the Silver Palms and the Golden Palms are awarded to the presidents, secretaries and members of the board of directors of representative trade organisations such as trade unions on the basis of the number of members of the organisation, of the length of their membership of the board and on the length of their tenure on the board. The Knight’s Cross of the Order of the Crown is also awarded to the members of the national and provincial committees for the promotion of labour who have reached the age of 42 after a tenure of 10 years (national committee) or 20 years (provincial committee) and after 30 years of service to the secretaries of the provincial committees for the promotion of labour who have reached the age of 62. The medal could also be awarded without the rigid ‘time in service’ criteria to administrators, directors, department heads, artisans, architects, chemists, specialist craftsmen etc, each case for an award assessed on an individual basis. The bronze medal appears to have been confined mainly to the Caucasian workers of the Belgian Congo or Congo Free State for 11 year service, apart from a period – duration unknown – when it was used in Belgium to reward firemen and rural guards for 40 years’ service.

18

ORDER OF LEOPOLD II

The Order of Leopold II is an order of Belgium and is named in honour of King Leopold II. The decoration was established on the 24th August 1900 by Leopold II as king of the Congo Free State and was in 1908, upon Congo being handed over to Belgium, incorporated into the Belgian awards system. The order is awarded for meritorious service to the sovereign of Belgium and as a token of his personal goodwill. It can be awarded to both Belgians and foreigners and is seen as a diplomatic gift of merit. The order had become a long service order for people in the civil service and is awarded alternatively with the Order of the Crown as the Order of Leopold is awarded under rarer circumstances. The order currently stands third after the Order of Leopold (1st) and the Order of the Crown (2nd) in the Belgian honours hierarchy. The Order of Leopold II is awarded by royal decree.

Classes

The Order of Leopold II is issued in five classes and three medals:

a) Grand Cross, who wears the badge on a sash on the right shoulder, plus a plaque on the left chest. b) Grand Officer, who were only a plaque on the left chest. c) Commander, who wears the badge on a necklet. d) Officer, who wears the badge on a ribbon with rosette on the left chest. e) Knight, who wears the badge of a ribbon on the left chest. f) Gold Medal, who wears the medal on the left chest. g) Silver Medal, who wears the medal on the left chest. h) Bronze Medal, who wears the medal on the left chest.

Insignia

The badge of the Order is a metal Maltese Cross, in silver for the Knight class and in gold for the higher classes, with a wreath of laurel leaves of the same metal between the arms of the cross. The obverse central disc features a lion on a black enamel background surrounded by a blue enamel ring with the motto “Unity Is Strength) in French (L’union fait la force) and in Dutch (Eendracht maakt macht). The badge is topped by a crown of the same metal, Up to the inclusion of the Order of Leopold II in the Belgian National Orders, the central disc showed an enameled blue, black and white crest of the Congo Free State and the motto ‘Travail et Progrés’. 19

The plaque for the Grand Cross is a faceted silver five-pointed star within golden rays between the branches of the star. The centre shows the obverse of the commander’s cross. The plaque for Grand Officer is a faceted five-armed ‘Maltese Asterisk’ with golden rays between the arms. The centre shows the obverse of an officer’s cross.

The medal shows the shape of the Order badge imprinted in a metal shape that is vaguely octagonal and looks like a closed florian cross. The metal of the Medal is gold for the Gold Medal, Silver for the Silver Medal and Bronze for the Bronze Medal.

The ribbon of the Order is blue with a central black stripe. However, if the Order is awarded in special circumstances, the ribbon of the Officer and Knight classes show the following variations:

a) Crossed swords are added to the ribbon when awarded in wartime (if the Order was awarded during the Second World War or during the Korean War, a small bar is added to the ribbon mentioning the name of the war). b) The ribbon has a vertical gold border on both sides when awarded for a special act of valour. c) The ribbon has a central vertical gold stripe in the middle of the black stripe when awarded for an exceptionally meritorious act. d) A gold star is added to the ribbon when the recipient has been mentioned in despatches at the national level. e) Silver or gold palms are added to the ribbon when awarded in wartime to military personnel.

Stars and borders or stripes can be awarded together, but these deviations are currently rarely awarded. Originally the central stripe of the ribbon was white, as blue and white were the colours of the Congo Free State. The ribbon bar of the order is worn on the semi-informal dress uniform. Despite the fact that contrary to the Order of Leopold, no maritime or military divisions of the Order of Leopold II exist, some unofficial decorations with crossed anchors or crossed swords under the suspension crown are known to exist.

Award Conditions ~ Current Award Conditions Of Belgian National Orders

National Orders are awarded by Royal Decree at fixed dates: 8th April (birthday of King Albert I), 15th November (King’s Feast), and in some cases on 21st July (Belgian national holiday) to reward meritorious services to the Kingdom of Belgium based on the career path and age of the recipient. A number of different regulations rule the award of National Order for the various 20 ministries. In addition, the National Orders may be awarded by the King for especially meritorious deeds. The Royal Decrees are published in the Belgian Journal (Moniteur Belge). The Minister responsible for Foreign Affairs, currently the Federal Public Service (SPF/FOD) Foreign Affairs, administers the national orders and has a role of advisor in cases not fitting within a regulation. For the award of National Orders for persons to which no regulations apply or has been adopted, the number of wards is limited every year by decision of the Council of Ministers.

Reserve-Lieutenant Ferdinand Verleyen Order Of Leopold II With Crossed Swords

The classes of the National Orders are integrated in a combined hierarchy defined by law, whereby within one class the Order of Leopold is senior to the Order of the Crown, which is senior to the Order of Leopold II. Except in some specific cases, one cannot be awarded a National Order at a level below the highest that the recipient has already received (e.g. a commissioned officer who become a Commander of the Order of Leopold II because of meritorious personal service to the King before he became a Knight of the Order of Leopold may not be awarded the latter decoration or that of the Officer of the Order of Leopold). People who are the subject of criminal proceedings will usually not be awarded a National Order until they are declared not guilty. 21

Award Conditions To Military Personnel

The Order of Leopold II is awarded to military personnel on the basis of their length of service, with the years of training counting for half and the first twelve years of service as member of the flying personnel counting double:

a) Grand Officer: Awarded at the time of retirement to a Major-General having a minimum of 40 years of meritorious service. b) Commander: Awarded after 30 years of meritorious service to a field officer member of the flying personnel with minimum rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, or at the time of retirement to other field officers with minimum rank of Lieutenant-Colonel having a minimum of 30 years of meritorious service. c) Officer: Awarded after 22 years of meritorious service to a commissioned officer member of the flying personnel with minimum rank of Captain, or at the time of retirement to their commissioned officers with minimum rank of Captain having between 20 and 25 years of meritorious service. d) Knight: Awarded after 13 years of meritorious service to a commissioned officer member of the flying personnel after 30 years of meritorious service for a non- commissioned officer (13 years for non-commissioned officers members of the flying personnel) and after 40 years of service for a private or corporal. e) Gold Medal: Awarded after 20 years of meritorious service to a non-commissioned officer (9 years for non-commissioned officers member of the flying personnel) and after 25 years of service for a private or corporal. f) Silver Medal: Awarded after 20 years of meritorious service for a private or corporal.

For awards to military personnel, there is no minimum age requirement. For commissioned officers not members of the flying personnel, the Order of Leopold II is only awarded at the time of retirement, even if it is in fact earned before that in line with the rules presented above. Even then because of the generic rule that one cannot be awarded a National Order at a level below the highest that the recipient has already received, the Order of Leopold II will not be awarded if the recipient has been awarded in the meantime a higher National Order than the Order of Leopold II at the Class he could receive. This apparent anomaly is due to the fact that King Albert I, who was fond of aviation, wanted to provide a special reward to aircraft pilots, and therefore ordered that the Order of Leopold II only be awarded to them. In its early days, the Order of Leopold II awarded to pilots was adorned with a bar for every one hundred hours flown (a practice currently discontinued). The Order of Leopold II is also sometimes awarded to 22 military personnel not meeting the conditions above when they have performed especially meritorious services to the King that do not deserve a special award of the Order of Leopold. This is in particular the case for commissioned officers who have been adjutant to the King or Crown Prince (usually a part-time position for a few especially selected Major), who are usually awarded the Order at the rank of commander.

Award Conditions For Long Civilian Service

The Knight’s Cross of the Order of Leopold II is awarded to the presidents, secretaries and members of the board of directors of the largest representative trade organisations such as trade unions on the basis of the number of members of the organisation, of the length of their membership of the board, and on the length of their tenure within the board. The Knight’s Cross of the Order of Leopold II is also awarded after a tenure of 10 years to the members of the provincial committees for the promotion of labour who have reached the age of 42. The Officer’s Cross of the order of Leopold II is awarded after a tenure of 30 years to the members of the national committee for the promotion of labour who have reached the age of 42.

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CROIX DE GUERRE

The Croix de Guerre (French or Oorlogskruis (Dutch), both literally translating as “War Cross”, is a military decoration of the Kingdom of Belgium established by royal decree on the 25th October 1915. It was primarily awarded for bravery or other military virtue on the battlefield. The award was re-established on the 20th July 1940 by the Belgian government in exile for recognition of bravery and military virtue during the Second World War. The post-1940 decoration could also be awarded to units that were cited. The decoration was again re- established by royal decree on the 3rd April 1954 for award during future conflicts.

Reserve-Lieutenant Ferdinand Verleyen Belgian Croix de Guerre with Two Palms

First World War ~ Award Statute

The First World War Croix de Guerre was established by royal decree on the 25th October 1915 as an award for bravery or other military virtue on the battlefield. It was only awarded to individuals. The Croix de Guerre was not only awarded for bravery but also for three years or more of service on the front line, or for good conduct on the battlefield. It was also awarded to volunteers older than 40 or younger than 16 after a minimum of 18 months of service, to 24 escaped prisoners of war rejoining the armed forces, and to military personnel who were placed on inactive duty because of injury.

Award Description

The First World War Croix de Guerre was a 40mm wide bronze Maltese cross with 3mm in diameter balls at its eight points. It had a 14mm in diameter central medallion bearing the relief image of a “lion rampant” on its obverse and the royal cypher of King Albert I on its reverse. Two 37mm long crossed swords point upwards between it arms. A 14mm high inverted “V” between the two points of the top cross arm is secured to the inside of a 25mm wide by 25mm high royal crown, the ribbon’s suspension ring passes through the top orb of the crown giving the cross a total height of 65mm. The First World War Croix de Guerre’s ribbon is red with five 2mm wide light green longitudinal stripes, three at the centre separated by 3mm and one each side 3mm for the edges.

A Royal Decree of the 15th November 1917 authorised the addition of a bronze lion emblem 5mm high, to the ribbon for each mentioned in an Army Order of the Day, and five bronze lions were to be replaced by a silver lion. A further decree of the 26th February 1919 amended this to a more complicated system according to the grade of the Order of the Day, using lions or palms in bronze, silver or silver-gilt:

a) For a Mention in Regimental Order – a bronze lion; b) For a Divisional Order – silver; c) For Division d’Armée – silver-gilt; d) For a Mention in an Army Order – a bronze palm; e) Five bronze palms were replaced by a silver palm; f) Five silver Palms were replaced by one in silver-gilt;

The same decree of 26th February 1919 also granted the Croix de Guerre avec Palme to recipients of Belgian or foreign orders of decorations awarded as a result of an Army Order of the Day citation. Other decrees authorized the award to various other categories, such as those who died of wounds, those who escaped from German prisons and rejoined the Belgium army, volunteers over the age of forty or under sixteen, etc. As late as September 1950, the Prince Regent authorized the award of a supplementary palm leaf to the ribbon of the 1914-1918 Croix de Guerre for ex-prisoners of war, honourably captured, who had escaped and rejoined. When awarded posthumously, the ribbon of the Croix de Guerre was adorned with a narrow black enamel bar. 25

FIRE CROSS 1914-1918

(French: Croix du Feu 1914-1918) ~ (Dutch: Vuurkruis 1914-1918)

The 1914-1918 Fire Cross (Dutch: Vuurkruis 1914-1918. French: Croix du Feu 1914-1918) was a Belgian military decoration awarded to all holders of the so-called “Fire-Card” which was awarded to all who came under fire at the front during the First World War. The medal was established by royal decree on the 6th February 1934. It could not be awarded posthumously.

Reserve-Lieutenant Ferdinand Verleyen Fire Cross (French: Croix du Feu 1914-1918)

Award Description

The Fire Cross was a 44mm wide by 54mm high (including ribbon loop) bronze cross quadrate. Except for a 3mm wide plain border, the cross arms were striated, horizontally for the lateral arms and vertically for the vertical arms on both the obverse and reverse. The 30mm wide by 37mm high central rectangle bore on its obverse, 5mm wide vertical laurel branches on either side, at centre, the relief image of a deserted battlefield with at the forefront, the relief image of a First World War Belgian helmet over a bayonet, farther and on a slight elevation at left, a 75mm howitzer, at upper right, the Sun breaking through clouds. On its reverse, a large laurel branch 26 extending diagonally from bottom left to top right and bisected by the relief inscription on two lines in Latin “SALUS PATRIAE SUPREMA LEX” – “The Nation’s Salvation Is Our Highest Duty”. In the top left corner, a royal crown from which seven relief rays extend downwards at bottom right, the relief years on two rows “1914” and “1918” at bottom just below the laurel branch’s stem, the name of the awards designer, “A. Rombaut”. The cross is suspended from a 36mm wide red silk moiré ribbon with three 4mm wide longitudinal blue stripes, one at centre, the other two on either side 1mm from the ribbon’s edges.

Indexation Of Book Of Golden Cards ~ Translated From Dutch by Henri De Backer

History Of The Guestbook Of Fire Cards

The Golden book was published by the J. Rosez publishing house in Brussels during the 1930s, with an ultimate edition in 1940. It contains the names and photos of war veterans holding a Fire Card. The veterans who wanted to be mentioned in the book were asked to complete a form in which he cited the honours he had received. The same form also allowed him to order the book. In order to check the accuracy of the information visits were made to their homes of the persons concerned who were then required to submit the necessary evidence. Part of the profit from the sale was paid to the “Fund Of The Great Invalids”. Paying by cash, the book cost 250Bf or a deposit of 100Bf could be paid but the cost then rose to 310Bf. By paying 325Bf the book could be purchased by paying in monthly installments.

The book was published and reissued several times in 1933-1934, 1934-1935, 1935-1936, 1936- 1937, 1937-1938, 1938-1939 and 1940. The 1940 edition is not a separated edition but a copy of previous editions. There were eight editions in Dutch and eight in French with several addenda. The editions in Dutch and French are identical except for the description of the recipients. On the first page of the book is always a Fire Map template.

Every veteran who ordered the book was given a version personalized with a copy of “his” Fire Card. Our collaborator Ludo says that the holder of a Fire Card enjoyed various benefits such as 75% discount on rails, train and bus transport in Belgium. In the medical field they had the right to consult a specially designated doctor free of charge and receive the prescribed medicines with discounts or even free of charge. This was done using particular forms that they had to present to the doctor during the consultation. The front chevrons generated an annuity from the age of 45, paid quarterly by postal order. The amount depended on the number of rafters.

Each of the eight editions of the Fire Card Guestbook takes up the history of the regiments that participated in the First World War. Regiments are ranked in the order that appear in the book 27 index. Mr André Darquenmes took the happy initiative to treat this information of undoubted interest in respect of the original text. On the 22nd April 1954, a new Belgian socialist-liberal government led by Achiel van Acker took office. The National Federation “The Fire Cross” took the initiative to present him his list of demands which included among others the rent related to the front chevrons, the pension, the medical care and the abuses. The notebook was provided by André De Clerq whom we would like to thank.

What Does The Indexing Book Entail?

The intent of the project is obvious. Via an alphabetical list it is possible to search from the name of the military included in the books. The different columns give the family name, first name(s), address, book number, page rank, regiment, possible presence of a photograph. The complete list also quotes the honours obtained but the excessive volume of this information does not allow its publication.

Fire Card, Badge & Fire Cross

The Fire Card was created in May 1932 to be awarded to all Belgians who had completed at least 12 months in a unit in contact with the enemy. It was completed:

~ in April 1933 with the creation of the Croix-Feu Badge inscribed in the buttonhole by the holders of the Croix du Feu

~ in February 1934 with the creation of the Fire Cross, which honours the holder of the Fire Card

Fire Cross

There are three basic types and a number of manufacturing variants that make it possible to increase the number of cross types. There are also luxury models in gilded bronze and vermeil. The holders of the Fire Card received a bronze medal (65mm in diameter), non-portable, with the theme of the Belgian defence on the Yser.

The name of the holder is on the reverse side. There are two models that differ in the language used French or Dutch. Recognition diploma to members of the National Federation “The Fire Cross”. Membership cards of the National Federation “The Fire Cross”. (French/Dutch)

(Fire Cross ~ A. Rombaut (caps) 23mm x 19mm; B (narrower lettering 24mm x 19mm; C. (22mm a 19mm A. RombauT).

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History & Development Of The Fire Cross – Our Forgotten Heroes

Many of us know the “Death Monument For The Fatherland” of their entity. Every town and village in Belgium was forced to build such a memorial as early as 1919, just as in France that same year. Often these monuments are part of the usual and routine landscape of our fellow citizens, some of whom are even surprised to see some ceremonies during memorial-day such as November 11th. Yet, of the names on it are those of men and sometimes women who gave their lives so that we can live free today, most of them have forgotten them. Those of “14” those of “40” … little by little memory has been buried in our life time.

The nation, grateful to those who showed so much courage could not reward all these brave men. Even if all those who had fought deserved homeland, it was necessary to limit the number by the most deserving. The choice was not easy and it was thus that the “Map of Fire” was proposed to H.M. King Albert I by L. Dens, Minister of National Defence and ratified by the Royal Decree of May 14th, 1932. This card ‘will be drawn of a strong paper of red colour, the upper left corner bearing the national colours’. In a second Royal Decree dated 6th February 1934, on the proposal of the Minister of Defence Albert Deveze, H.M. King Albert I a decoration called the “Fire Cross” which would be attributed to the holders of the “Fire Card” of which this last would serve as a patent. Here is the description of this cross as published in the Royal Decree cited in reference. The “Fire Cross is patinated bronze. Her heraldic description is as follows: Obverse: A cross, including the vertical hatched tree and horizontal hatch braces, at the edge, embossed with the heart of a rectangular sign placed in the direction of the height charged with a view of battlefield lined dexter and sinister of a garland of laurels in relief, with in the foreground a bayonet tip up and a helmet with its chinstrap the front adorned with the head of leopard also, passed in satire, in the background, a moving ground elevation of the dextral flank, a 7·5cm field cannon, in firing position turned towards sinister, in the background the sky with moving head of the sinister flank a shadow of sun dissipating a dextral flank cloud.

Reverse: A cross, including the vertical cross-hatched tree and horizontal hatch braces with the raised edge is the heart of a rectangular sign placed in the direction of the height loaded with a laurel palm laid in a cut-off bar by the motto Salus Patriae Suprema Lex palced in fess and inscribed on two lines, accompanied in chief dexter of the royal crown halved and in senestre tip of the vintages 1914-1918 inscribed in pal. In 1937, the publishing house J. Rozez, SA of Brussels, published a book which was to mark the memory of those who were the Belgian heroes of the Great War in the “Golden Book Of The Card Of Fire”. Each of the heroes, whose name appears in this precious relic, received a copy of this book and a massive bronze medallion 29 with a diameter of 65mm. This medallion represents on the obverse a soldier in 1915 outfit, wearing the famous helmet “Adrien” and standing guard against the defensive floods of the Yser. On the top, in an arc, you can read “1914 Yser Do Not Go! 1918.” On the reverse, engraved in hollow: Tribute A … Card Holder of the Fire. The obverse of the 65mm bronze medallion of Ferdinand Verleyen is inscribed around the circumference:

1914 YSER ON NE PASSE PAS! 1918

Below the right leg boot of the soldier is the signature of the sculptor Eugène Canneel (1882- 1966).

Reserve-Lieutenant Ferdinand Verleyen ~ Obverse ~ 65mm Bronze Medal

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The reverse is also impressed with a small capital ‘A’ the mark of the manufacturer and inscribed:

HOMMAGE

VERLEYEN FERDINAND

TITULAIRE DE LA

CARTE DU FEU

Reserve-Lieutenant Ferdinand Verleyen ~ Reverse ~ 65mm Bronze Medallion

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CIVIC DECORATION

The (French: Décoration Civique, Dutch: Burgerlijke Ereteken) is a civilian decoration of the Kingdom of Belgium. It was first established by royal decree on the 21st July 1867 to reward exceptional acts of bravery, devotion or humanity. A further royal decree of the 15th January 1885 extended the award to state civil servants for long service by a mere change of ribbon. The award statue was once again amended by royal decree in 1902 to include long service in the Civic Guard and firefighters, each with its distinctive ribbon. Two wartime variants were created to reward civilians who distinguished themselves during World Wars.

Reserve-Lieutenant Ferdinand Verleyen Civic Decoration

The Civic Decorations 1914-1915 (later dated 1918) was created on the 18th May 1915 to reward civilians and non-combatants who served their country with distinction during the First World War.

A similar Decoration was also established for the Second World War on the 21st July 1944 by the Belgian government in exile. The Civic Decoration, previously solely awarded by Royal Decree, has been awarded directly by regions and communities since the 1993 federalisation of Belgium. 32

Classes

The Civic Decoration is awarded in two categories:

a) The Civic Cross (further subdivided into a First and a Second Class) b) The Civic Medal (further subdivided into a First, Second and Third Class)

These classes are common to all types of the Civic Decoration.

Award Criteria

The Civic Decoration for long and distinguished service in the administration and firefighters is awarded:

a) Civic Cross: for 35 years of meritorious serviced, with the First Class going to employees of higher rank; b) Civic Medal: for 25 years of meritorious, with the First Class going to employees of higher rank;

The Civic Medal Third Class (bronze) which was principally intended for award to indigenous personnel in the colonies, is no longer awarded. The Decoration for exceptional acts of bravery, devotion or humanity is awarded on a case-by-case basis. The Civic Cross First Class for exceptional acts of bravery, devotion or humanity is only awarded posthumously.

Award Description

The badge of the Civic Cross is a white enameled Maltese cross with the central medallion bearing the monogram of King Leopold I or of King Albert I (for the 1914-1918 Cross) on the obverse and reverse. Between the arms of the Cross are:

a) Crossed Swords for the Civic Cross 1914-1918; b) Crossed flaming torches for the Civic Cross 1940-1945; c) A Burgundy Cross for the Civic Cross for administrative services and for services as a firefighter;

The cross First Class is gilt, the Second Class is silver.

The Medal is vaguely octagonal and looks like a closed florian cross, it bears the relief image of the Civic Cross. The medal for 1914-1918 is topped with crossed swords, the medal for 1940- 1945 is topped with crossed flaming torches. The medal first class is gold, the second class is silver and the third class is bronze. 33

The ribbons of the Civic Decoration and Medal differ with the type of award:

a) The ribbon is red with three vertical black stripes when the award is for long and distinguished service in the administration; b) The ribbon is red with two vertical black stripes bordered on each side by a yellow line when the award is for exceptional acts of bravery, devotion or humanity; c) The ribbon is green with two vertical white stripes when the award is for long and distinguished service as a firefighter; d) The ribbon is pale green with vertical black, yellow and red stripes on each edge (black towards the centre) and a central vertical gold stripe for the 1914-1918 award; e) The ribbon is saffron with vertical black, yellow and red stripes on each edge (red towards the centre) and a central vertical stripe for the 1940-1945 award;

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VOLUNTEER COMBATANT’S MEDAL 1914-1918

The Volunteer Combatant’s Medal 1914-1918 (French: Médaille du Combattant Volontaire 1914-18, Dutch: Medaille van de Vrijwillige Strijder 1914-1918) was a Belgian wartime service medal established by Royal Decree on the 17th June 1930 and awarded to Belgian citizens and foreign nationals who voluntarily enlisted for service in the Belgian Armed Forces during the First World War.

Reserve-Lieutenant Ferdinand Verleyen Volunteer Combatant’s Medal 1914-1918

Award Statute

The Volunteer Combatant’s Medal 1914-1918 was awarded for voluntary enlistment and service in a combat unit in a danger zone for not less than six months during the First World War. Later, the eligibility criteria were extended to include volunteers older than 40 years of age who had served three months in a combat unit in a danger zone, who were older than 50 years of age who had served for one month in a combat unit in a danger zone, and medical personnel who had served for two years in non-occupied Belgium. Additional provisions were made regarding to youngsters who had fled occupied Belgium and persons who were wounded in action and posthumous awards. 35

Awards Description

The Volunteer Combatant’s Medal 1914-1918 was a 36mm in diameter bronze circular medal topped with a crescent shaped (30mm at its base) section giving it a nearly oval shape of a height of 50mm. On its obverse at right front, the relief image of the head of a helmeted First World War Belgian soldier facing left and partially hidden behind him, the relief image of the head of an 1830 volunteer also facing left and wearing a bonnet typically worn by the revolutionaries. The crescent section bears the relief image of the Belgian crown over laurel branches. On the reverse, along the outer circumference, is the Latin inscription “VOLUNTARIIS PATRIA MEMOR”, and in the centre the years 1914-1918. The medal was suspended by a ring through the suspension loop to a silk moiré royal blue ribbon.

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INTER-ALLIED VICTORY MEDAL

The Belgian variant of the Inter-Allied Victory Medal 1914-1918 (French: Médaille Interalliée de la Victoire 1914-1918, Dutch” Intergeallieerde Overwinningsmedaille 1914-1918) was a Belgian commemorative war medal established by royal decree on the 15th and awarded to all members of the Belgian Armed Forces who served during the First World War. Later royal decrees enlarged the list of potential recipients to include service in African campaigns and under special circumstances, to members of the merchant navy and fishing fleet, in all 350,000 were awarded. The medal was designed by the Belgian sculptor Paul Du Bois. It is worn immediately after the (or Yser Cross) in the Belgian order of precedence.

Reserve-Lieutenant Ferdinand Verleyen Inter-Allied Victory Medal 1914-1919 (Belgium)

Award Description

The Belgian Inter-Allied Victory Medal 1914-1918 was a 36mm in diameter circular gilt bronze medal. Its obverse bore a winged victory standing on a globe, her arms and wings spread out, looking down at Earth. The reverse bore, superimposed over a laurel wreath, the coats of arms of the Allies, starting at centre top and going clockwise, , , , Kingdom of Greece, Brazil, Serbia, , Kingdom of United 37

Kingdom and at centre the Royal Coat of Arms of Belgium. Along the outer circumference, the relief bilingual inscription in French and Dutch “THE GREAT WAR FOR CIVILISATION” (French: “La Grande Guerre Pour La Civilisation” and Dutch: “De Groote Oorlog Tot De Beschaving”).

The medal was suspended by a ring through a suspension loop from a 38mm wide silk moiré rainbow coloured ribbon common to the Inter-Allied Victory Medals 1914-1918 of all the First World War Allies.

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COMMEMORATIVE MEDAL OF THE 1914-1918 WAR

The Commemorative Medal of the 1914-1918 War (French: Médaille Commémorative de la Guerre 1914-1918, Dutch: Oorlogsherinnerinsmedaille 1914-1918) was a Belgian commemorative war medal established by royal decree on the 21st July 1919 and awarded to all members of the Belgian Armed Forces who served during the First World War that were eligible for the inter-allied victory medal.

Reserve-Lieutenant Ferdinand Verleyen Commemorative Medal Of The 1914-1918 War With Gold Bar & Crown

Medal Description

The Belgian 1914-1918 Commemorative War Medal was struck from bronze, it was 47mm high by 31mm wide, triangular shaped and with rounded sides. On its obverse, the relief left profile of a helmeted soldier with a 29mm in diameter circular recess, the helmet adorned with laurels. Between the circular recess and the bottom left corner of the medal, the relief date “1914” in the lower right corner, the relief date “1918”. In the upper point of the triangle, above the circular recess, the relief images of a lion rampant with an oak branch to its left and a laurel branch to its right. On the reverse, near the top, the relief image of a crown surrounded by the same branches as the lion on the obverse, below the crown, the relief semi-circular inscription in French on two 39 rows over the large relief dates “1914-1918”, “MEDAILLE COMMEMORATIVE / DE LA CAMPAGNE” the inscription repeated in Dutch below the dates “HERDENKINGSMEDAILLE / VAN DEN VELDTOCHT” (COMMEMORATIVE MEDAL OF THE 1914-1918 CAMPAIGN).

Ribbon & Devices

The medal was suspended by a ring through the suspension loop to a 39mm wide red silk moiré ribbon with a 1mm wide central yellow stripe bordered by 1mm wide black stripes. Multiple devices were allowed for wear on the ribbon:

a) A crown for volunteers; Silver bars, the 1st bar denoting a year at the front, consecutive individual silver bars denoting additional periods of six months at the front; b) Gold bar, worn in lieu of five silver bars; c) A red enameled cross for each wound received in combat; d) Naval anchor, for sailors also awarded the “Maritime Decoration”; e) “1916-R-1917” or “1916-R-1918” clasp to members of the Expeditionary Corps to Russia.

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COMMEMORATIVE MEDAL OF THE REIGN OF KING ALBERT I

The Commemorative Medal of the Reign of King Albert I (French: Médaille Commémorative du Régne du Roi Akbert I, Dutch: Herinneringsmedaille aan de Regeerperiode van Albert I) was a Belgian military medal established on the 17th February 1962 to commemorate the reign of . It was awarded to serving members of the Belgian Armed Forces and to veterans of the service who served honorably between 18th December 1909 and 18th February 1934.

Reserve-Lieutenant Ferdinand Verleyen Commemorative Medal Of The Reign of King Albert I

Award Description

The Commemorative Medal of the Reign of King Albert I was a 32mm in diameter circular bronze medal. Its obverse bore the relief left profile of King Albert I wearing a military helmet adorned with a laurel wreath and a military overcoat with the collar up.

The relief inscription in Latin along the upper circumference, reads “ALBERTUS” and at the bottom, “REX” meaning “Albert” “King”. On the reverse a large relief capital letter A under a royal crown between two vertical branches, oak at left and laurel at right, at the bottom, the 41 years “1909” and “1934”. The medal was suspended by a ring through the suspension loop from a 38mm wide silk moiré yellow ribbon with a 2mm wide central green stripe.

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20th ANNIVERSARY BRONZE MEDALLION OF THE UNION OF VETERANS ORGANISATIONS

The 46mm bronze medallion designed by the engraver Eugène Jean de Bremaecker has on the obverse profile heads of King Albert wearing glasses and Queen Elizabeth facing left. The reverse has around the circumference at the top ‘XXE ANNIVERSAIRE’. Beneath in three lines:

UFAC

1929 – 14-18 – 1949

VVV

Around the circumference, at the bottom: ‘XXE VERJARING’.

Reserve-Lieutenant Ferdinand Verleyen Obverse ~ 20th Anniversary Bronze Medallion Of The Union Of Veterans Organisations

The medallion was issued in 1949 to commemorate the founding in 1929 of the Union of Fraternal Campaign Army 1914-1918 (UFAC). Eugène Jean de Bremaecker, a Belgian sculptor and medalist was born in Brussels on the 14th July 1879. He died aged 83 years on the 18th January, 1963. 43

The reverse of the 20th Anniversary Bronze Medallion Of The Union Of Veterans Organisations.

Reserve-Lieutenant Ferdinand Verleyen Reverse ~ 20th Anniversary Bronze Medallion Of The Union Of Veterans Organisations

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RESERVE-LIEUTENANT FREDINAND VERLEYEN

Mounted Miniature Medal Group

*Note: The small sepia photographs in the display frame may be of Ferdinand’s parents. They could also be of himself and his wife. Their clothing possibly pre-dates the First World War. With no documentation to date about when Ferdinand was born or when he entered the Army, I have made the assumption that the photographs are of his mother and father as the originals, are inserted into a very small leather photograph wallet. Ferdinand could have kept them with him as a personal family memento. A Belgian family history web-site lists a Ferdinand Verleyen, born in 1901 who would have only been 13 years of age at the beginning of the First World War and unlikely to have been married. Further information from a Belgian source may be forthcoming but so far it has proved difficult to obtain any precise details about Ferdinand, his family or his army record.

Roger Coleman

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Sources

Wikipedia Web-Site ~ Belgian Military Decorations & Medals; Belgian Civic Decorations & Medals – www.wikipedia.com.uk

Belgian Soldiers – Article by Tom Simoens Royal Military Academy ~ www.1914-1918 Online International Encyclopedia Of The First World War

© Photographs ~ Roger Coleman 2019

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