Queen Elisabeth Medal

Queen Elisabeth Medal

Queen Elisabeth Medal (obverse)
Ribbon bar
TypeWartime humanitarian award
Awarded forHumanitarian and medical care to Belgian victims of the First World War
Presented by Kingdom of Belgium
EligibilityBelgian citizens and foreign nationals
StatusNo longer awarded
Established15 September 1915
Reverse of the medal
Awards for tending the wounded had a red enamelled cross in the wreath.

The Queen Elisabeth Medal (Dutch: Koningin Elisabeth Medaille, French: Médaille de la reine Élisabeth) was a Belgian decoration created by royal decree in October 1916[1] to recognise exceptional services to Belgium in the relief of the suffering of its citizens during the First World War. Its statute was ratified on 14 May 1919.[2] It was awarded to people, both Belgians and foreign nationals, who, like Queen Elisabeth herself, had worked and cared for the suffering victims of war for a year or more prior to 10 September 1919. Although not limited to medical care of the sick and wounded, recipients who earned the medal by working in hospitals received a variant with a red enamelled cross within the suspension wreath. A great many Belgian and foreign doctors and nurses received the medal.

  1. ^ "L'Indépendance Belge, 7 October 1916, p. 3". {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  2. ^ "Royal decree of 14 May 1919 ratifying the statute of the Queen Elisabeth Medal". Belgian government. 1919-05-19. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)