The Marne Medal (French - ''médaille de la Marne'') was a French medal awarded to soldiers who had fought in the
First Battle of the Marne
The First Battle of the Marne was a battle of the First World War fought from 5 to 12 September 1914. It was fought in a collection of skirmishes around the Marne River Valley. It resulted in an Entente victory against the German armies in the ...
, the
Second Battle of the Marne
The Second Battle of the Marne (french: Seconde Bataille de la Marne) (15 July – 18 July 1918) was the last major German offensive on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during the World War I, First World War. The attack failed wh ...
or both engagements, particularly those who took part in fighting between 6 and 12 September 1914 on the Senlis front at
Verdun
Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department.
Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...
.
It was inaugurated on 21 August 1937 by the ''Les Soldats de la Marne'' association, later succeeded by the ''Mondement 1914'' association.
It was presented to
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government ...
by the association's president, commander Paul Gauvin at
Esternay
Esternay () is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the ...
, with the radio journalist
Jean-Pierre Elkabbach
Jean-Pierre Elkabbach (born 29 September 1937) is a French journalist.
Biography
Elkabbach was born to an Algerian Jewish family in Oran in 1937, then the prefecture of the ''département d'Oran'' in French Algeria. He began his journalisti ...
also present.
Insignia
The medal was a 27mm diameter bronze disc, with an obverse showing a helmeted head, a sword handle and the inscription "LA MARNE" and a reverse inscribed "SOLDAT DE LA MARNE" (soldier of the Marne) in large characters in the centre, "1914" at the top and "1918" at the bottom, all surrounded by a laurel wreath. The ribbon was green with three vertical red stripes edged in white.
See also
*
Ribbons of the French military and civil awards This is a list of the ribbons of the French military and civil awards.
French national orders
French ministerial orders
French military decorations
Medals of Honor
French commemorative awards
Other awards
Order of precedence
Official ...
*
Orient campaign medal: WWI French campaign medal for the Macedonian front
*
Dardanelles campaign medal
The Dardanelles campaign medal (french: "Médaille commémorative des Dardanelles") was a French military medal bestowed for participation in the Battle of the Dardanelles, also known as the Gallipoli campaign against the Central Powers by the C ...
: WWI French campaign medal for the Gallipoli campaign
*
1914–1918 Inter-Allied Victory medal: WWI French victory medal
External links
*
* {{cite web, url=http://www.mondement1914.asso.fr/, title=Association Mondement 1914
French campaign medals
category:Awards established in 1937
category:France in World War I
Military awards and decorations of World War I
Western Front (World War I)
Marne basin