The Civilian Disobedience Medal (french: Médaille du Réfractaire, nl, Werkweigeraarsmedaille) was a war service
medal
A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...
of the
Kingdom of Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to the ...
established by
royal decree on 12 February 1951 and awarded to Belgian citizens refusing to support the German war effort during the
Second World War
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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
Award description
The Civilian Disobedience Medal was a circular 37mm in diameter bronze medal. Its
obverse bore the relief torso of a civilian male with his arms crossed and his face turned away to the right in defiance. The reverse bore the relief inscription on two lines in
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
"FORSAN VICTI NUNQUAM SERVI" roughly translating into "MAYBE DEFEATED BUT NEVER SLAVES". The years "1940-1945" are inscribed along the reverse's upper circumference.
The medal was suspended by a ring through a suspension loop to a 38mm wide silk
moiré green ribbon with two 3mm wide longitudinal stripes located 1cm from the edges, the stripes came in three different colours depending on the reason for bestowal:
* yellow stripes indicated refusal to serve in the German armed forces;
* white stripes indicated refusal to work for the Germans;
* red stripes indicated refusal to return to Germany by a forced labourer following leave at home in Belgium.
References
*Royal Decree of 12 February 1951 creating the Médaille du Réfractaire
Other sources
* 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)
See also
*
Orders, decorations, and medals of Belgium Belgium has established numerous orders of knighthood, decorations and medals since its creation in 1830. Below is a list of the main awards.
Orders
Order of Leopold
Order of the Crown
Order of Leopold II
Order of the African Star
Royal Or ...
External links
Bibliothèque royale de Belgique(In French)
(In French)
{{Belgium honours
Orders, decorations, and medals of Belgium
Awards established in 1951
1951 establishments in Belgium