Yser Medal
| Yser Medal | |
|---|---|
 Yser Medal (obverse) | |
| Type | Campaign medal |
| Eligibility | Members of the Belgian Armed Forces |
| Status | No longer awarded |
| Established | October 18, 1918 |
The Yser Medal (Template:Lang-fr) (Template:Lang-nl) was a Belgian World War 1 campaign medal established on October 18, 1918 to denote distinguished service during the 1914 Battle of the Yser where the Belgian Army stopped the German advance under General Erich von Falkenhayn, losing some 60,000 soldiers dead or wounded in the process, more than a third of the total complement of the Belgian Army at the time.
Statute
The Yser Medal was awarded to the members of the Belgian Armed Forces who were part of the army fighting along the Yser river between 17 and 31 October 1914 that proved themselves worthy of the distinction. The medal could also be awarded to foreign nationals, members of allied military forces who took part in the Battle of the Yser. The medal could be awarded posthumously.
The Yser Medal was worn on the left side of the chest and when in the presence of other awards of Belgium, was placed directly after the Croix de Guerre (War Cross).
Medal description
The Yser medal was a 35 mm in diameter circular medal struck from bronze and surmounted by a smaller diameter green enamelled medallion. The obverse bore a naked helmeted man holding a lance (indicating the halting of the advance of the German forces), to his right, the relief inscription on three lines "17-31 OCT 1914". In the enamelled medallion, the relief inscription "YSER". The reverse bore the relief image of the left side of a roaring wounded lion lying on the bank of the Yser river, below the lion, the relief inscription "YSER", in the medallion, the Belgian royal crown over the relief letter "A", the monogram of King Albert.
The medal was suspended by a ring through the suspension loop to a red silk moiré ribbon with wide black edge stripes. The red denoting the spilled blood, the black denoting the mourning.
Noteworthy recipients (partial list)
- Major General Armand De Ceuninck, Baron of Ceuninck
- General, the Baron Alphonse Jacques de Dixmude
- Monsignor Georges Henri Joseph Édouard Lemaître
- Honorary Major General Philippe Houyoux
- Infantry officer Ivan Colmant
- Divisional commander General Paul François Grossetti
- Captain (Navy) Henri Pugliesi Conti (French marines)
- Sailor Constant Duclos (French marines)
Replacement
The Yser Medal was replaced by the Yser Cross in 1934. The cross was of similar design to the Medal except that it was in the form of a cross pattée. The Yser Cross was issued as a replacement to the earlier Yser Medal upon application and payment of a fee, consequently relatively few were issued. The Yser Medal and the Yser Cross could not be worn together, it was one or the other.
.jpg){kind=link}