The Medal for the War Wounded (french: Médaille des blessés de guerre) was originally a mere insignia in the form of an ribbon awarded for wounds received in the line of duty while facing an enemy. The insignia was established by the law of 11 December 1916, based on an idea by the nationalist writer

Maurice Barrès Auguste-Maurice Barrès (; 19 August 1862 – 4 December 1923) was a French novelist, journalist and politician. Spending some time in Italy, he became a figure in French literature with the release of his work '' The Cult of the Self'' in 188 ...

. Although originally established as a temporary measure, the insignia survived for a century in some form or another. It could be awarded to wounded soldiers,

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of w ...

, to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

deportees and internees from the

French resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

and to soldiers wounded in more recent conflicts. A variety of unofficial medals in the form of a red enamelled star suspended by the same ribbon appeared very early on and although tolerated for wear by the authorities, were not official until recently. A provisional instruction of 14 April 2015 from the

French Army History Early history The first permanent army, paid with regular wages, instead of feudal levies, was established under Charles VII of France, Charles VII in the 1420 to 1430s. The Kings of France needed reliable troops during and after the ...

High Command began the proceedings which were later ratified in the official decree n° 2016-1130 of 17 August 2016 making the Medal for the War Wounded a state decoration of the

French Republic France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. A recent 2017 amendment further simplified the regulations of this award by allowing all past recipients to keep wearing it but strictly limiting any future award to military personnel.

Statute

The Medal for the War Wounded can be worn by: *Military personnel suffering from a physical or mental war wound, ascertained by the army health service and approved by the Minister of Defence; *Prisoners of war, physically or psychologically wounded during their detention. Article 3 of the new regulation states that the wear of this medal is not subordinate to an official ceremony of award. Article 4 of the new regulation further states that persons who were eligible for and wore the now defunct insignia as mentioned in Article 2 of the now abrogated 1952 law governing its wear (resistance deportees and internees), may wear the medal.

Award description

The Medal for the War Wounded is made of gilded bronze with a 30 mm diameter. It is mainly composed of a large bright red enamelled five pointed star atop a crown of half laurels (left) and half oak leaves (right). The medal is suspended by a ring from a 35 mm wide silk moiré ribbon composed of vertical stripes in the following colours: white 1 mm - blue 5 mm - white 1 mm - blue 4 mm - white 1 mm - yellow 3 mm - white 1 mm - beginning ou the outer edge on both sides of a 3 mm wide central red stripe. Small enamel red five pointed stars are added to the medal ribbon and undress ribbon for each additional wound.

Notable recipients (partial list)

* Sergeant André Maginot * General Pierre Billotte * Major Hélie de Saint Marc * General Raoul Salan * Resistance fighter André Girard * General Edgard de Larminat * Foreign Legion Captain John Freeman "Jack" Hasey * Lieutenant-Colonel Pierre Clostermann *Sergeant Eugene Bullard *Captain Pierre-Eugène Fournier *General Gilbert Henry *Lieutenant Jean Carrelet de Loisy *Major Jean-Edmond Lamaze *Lieutenant-Colonel Alfred Maurice Cazaud *Lieutenant-Colonel Jean Vérines *General Félix de Vial

References

External links

Military Wounded Insignia on France Phaléristique
(In French) {{DEFAULTSORT:Insigne Des Blesses Militaires Military awards and decorations of France Wound decorations Awards established in 1916 Awards established in 2016 Maurice Barrès

Statute

Award description

Notable recipients (partial list)

See also

References

External links