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The Lowdown on the Low Country

135

Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 184 ✭✭MedalFuhrer


    Very nice!


  • Registered Users Posts: 184 ✭✭MedalFuhrer


    A new prized addition to my WW1 collection.
    Belgium Yser medal:

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  • Registered Users Posts: 783 ✭✭✭HerrScheisse


    Just picked up a mint variant if this medal with dates 1965-1905. The one I previously posted was 1965-1909.

    I post both together for comparison.

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  • Registered Users Posts: 783 ✭✭✭HerrScheisse


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    Issued to all military personnel that intervened in Congo, Zaire or Sudan since 1960. A clause states that you also have to display impeccable behaviour. The rear of the medal is flat.


  • Registered Users Posts: 783 ✭✭✭HerrScheisse


    Here again a political prisoner cross such as was posted earlier on this thread, except that I also have the membership card of the organisation of political prisoners. The cross is hard enough to come by but one with personal details of the owner is an even rarer find. Two stars on the ribbon refer to one year imprisonment, each star being equal to six months detention.

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  • Registered Users Posts: 184 ✭✭MedalFuhrer


    Nice! Post a pic of the rear of the humanitarian one also. Nice pics by the way!


  • Registered Users Posts: 783 ✭✭✭HerrScheisse


    The rear is just flat, nought to see there!


  • Registered Users Posts: 783 ✭✭✭HerrScheisse


    This award recognises acts of civil resistance during the years of occupation 1940 - 1945. On the rear is the latin text "Restirunt" or "They resisted".

    On the face, the image of a man breaking the chains on his wrists, a woman standing to his rear. The bottom right edge is signed in very small text by the designer George Vindvogel (so small you almost do not see it).

    The ribbon like the other two resistance medals already posted is symbolic, green for hope, red for the blood shed, but in this case the black refers to the clandestine activities of the resistance.

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  • Registered Users Posts: 783 ✭✭✭HerrScheisse


    Bearing the rampant lion and the national motto in French ‘L’Union Fait la Force’ and Dutch "Eendracht Maakt Macht", this medal is awarded for ten years of service. It can also be awarded for courage or exceptional service.
    Instituted by Leopold II in 1873.

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  • Registered Users Posts: 783 ✭✭✭HerrScheisse


    A chivalric order available in five classes, three medals, and two palms. Here are the silver palms of this ward (previously had posted gold palms in this thread).

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  • Registered Users Posts: 783 ✭✭✭HerrScheisse


    Awarded to all military personnel mobilised during the Franco-Prussian war of 1870 to 1871.
    Instituted by King Abert I in 1911.

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  • Registered Users Posts: 783 ✭✭✭HerrScheisse


    Available in two classes, the militray cross establised in 1885 by Leopold II and awarded to commissioned officers for 25 years of loyal and uninterrupted service. Only 300 of these are awarded each year at a special ceremony and so it is an item quite in demand.

    This particular example is approx 100 years old.

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  • Registered Users Posts: 783 ✭✭✭HerrScheisse


    looking at a map, it is hard to imagine that Leopold II managed to have an unexplored land such as Congo colonised, in terms of scale it just seems absurd.

    Here are some coins from that era.

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  • Registered Users Posts: 184 ✭✭MedalFuhrer


    Wow that military cross looks stunning. Very high quality piece.


  • Registered Users Posts: 783 ✭✭✭HerrScheisse


    The Yser Cross was insitituted in 1934 and is very similar to the Yser medal except it has short cross arms. It could be worn instead of the Yser medal but never with it. Since this award was officialised many years after the war, few veterans were interested in it, especially since they had to pay for it themselves as a replacement for their Yser medal.

    As a result it is much rarer than the Yser medal and more in demand.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 783 ✭✭✭HerrScheisse


    Not a medal or award as such, but a stickpin from the organisation of Dora survivors. Note the "B" as on the official political prisoner award, and top by the text "Dora".

    Dora was a forced labour camp wwhere the workers assembled the dreaded V2 rockets. The camp was visited by Werner Von Braun and Albert Speer.

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  • Registered Users Posts: 783 ✭✭✭HerrScheisse


    Already posted earlier but now with the two other variants possible. The Fire Cross was awarded to soldiers that come under fire on teh front line and could not be awarded posthumously.

    Three variants are possible, on the extreme left is the Type one, note the difference in the helmet and sun on the Type 2 in the centre. Type 3 on the right is a slightly smaller version of Type 2.

    The rear of Type 1 and is completely different to that of Type 2 and 3.

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  • Registered Users Posts: 783 ✭✭✭HerrScheisse


    Medal commemorating the army of liberation during WW2. Note the war years 1940-1944 on the cross arms - Belgium was invaded in 1940 and liberated in 1944. on the top arm are the ititials AL (French: Armee Liberation) and on the bottom arm BVL (Dutch: Bevrijdings Leger).

    An added bonus is that the medal came with the separate enamelled lapel badge attached to the loop ring. :)

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  • Registered Users Posts: 783 ✭✭✭HerrScheisse


    The medal from the national brotherhood of combatants - Federation Nationale Des Combattants Belgique or FNC.

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  • Registered Users Posts: 783 ✭✭✭HerrScheisse


    Medal commemorating the resistance during the war years 1940-1945.

    Text on rear commends the "Independence Front and its Militias" in both French and Dutch. The ribbon colour matches previous resisstance medals with the exception that this medal has the national flag colours on the edges.

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  • Registered Users Posts: 783 ✭✭✭HerrScheisse


    The second of three Liege medals available. the first was a WW1 variant posted earlier. The second version is WW2 and has a US GI on the front,, although I do not have this one yet. The third medal is below, commemorating 25 years after the defence of Liege.

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  • Registered Users Posts: 184 ✭✭MedalFuhrer



    Dora was a forced labour camp wwhere the workers assembled the dreaded V2 rockets. The camp was visited by Werner Von Braun and Albert Speer.

    If memory serves me correctly, Von Braun has an office in Dora. As I remember when reading about the scandal hitting the US newspapers during the space race and him claiming that he knew nothing about the goings on in Dora. And the survivors saying it was funny as he must have never looked out of his office window so.

    Anyway, that is a seriously nice haul of Belgian medals now! :cool:


  • Registered Users Posts: 783 ✭✭✭HerrScheisse


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  • Registered Users Posts: 783 ✭✭✭HerrScheisse


    The World War 2 War Cross for bravery with bronze palm and rearing lion. Vert similar to the WW1 counterpart, but the symbol on the rear side is different.

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  • Registered Users Posts: 178 ✭✭Milsey


    Herrscheisse, i love your medals and have to say you've got a great collection. I want to ask if you dont mind, What set up you used for your photos. Camera settings. Distance lighting etc. Your getting great reults. Im delighted to see a thread on Belgian medals. I have a set this long time and actually found it hard to come across anybody with another set. Mine are all to one guy. I have the medals and award documents to go with them. His military pass with photo, pow camp pass id with photo along with many more paprework to the one guy. I'm looking forward to share these here but I want to photo them and show them in the best light possible. I think it adds to their enjoyment. Thanks in advance.


  • Registered Users Posts: 783 ✭✭✭HerrScheisse


    Hi Milsey - I would be interested to see your set! I still have a long way to go with lots of harder to find medals to pick up. And I still do not have a Leopold I order! I have been waiting on a good price / quality version.

    I use a Nikon D90 reflex camera with a kit lens 18-105mm. I have an external flash which I angle up toward the ceiling to reflect light downwards. I am not doing much in terms of set up, merely put the items on a neutral background with decent light and I still use the flash as it gives better colours. Then crop the excess away.


  • Registered Users Posts: 178 ✭✭Milsey


    Hi Milsey - I would be interested to see your set! I still have a long way to go with lots of harder to find medals to pick up. And I still do not have a Leopold I order! I have been waiting on a good price / quality version.

    I use a Nikon D90 reflex camera with a kit lens 18-105mm. I have an external flash which I angle up toward the ceiling to reflect light downwards. I am not doing much in terms of set up, merely put the items on a neutral background with decent light and I still use the flash as it gives better colours. Then crop the excess away.
    I will do my best to photo shortly and llok forward to sharing on here as soon as I get a moment.


  • Registered Users Posts: 178 ✭✭Milsey


    This is a set I have to a belgian guy who spent the war in a pow camp.
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  • Registered Users Posts: 178 ✭✭Milsey


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  • Registered Users Posts: 178 ✭✭Milsey


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