- Time Period: Second World War
- Institution: 16 February 1945
- Country: Belgium
The Volunteer’s Medal 1940–1945 (Médaille du Volontaire 1940–1945 / Medaille van de Oorlogsvrijwilliger 1940–1945) is a Belgian war medal established on 16 February 1945 by royal decree of the Regent and awarded to Belgian and foreign civilians who voluntarily enlisted in the Belgian Armed Forces during the Second World War.
The medal could also be awarded to volunteers serving in the Belgian units of the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy or British merchant navy.
The Volunteer’s Medal 1940-1945 Design
The medal measures 38 mm in diameter and is circular and struck in bronze.
The obverse bears the relief image of a soldier standing at ease holding a rifle with a bayonet, with the soldier is superimposed over a large capital letter V in front of a rising sun. The reverse bears the relief image of the Flemish lion rampant below the inscription in Latin “VOLONTARIIS“, and the inscription of the dates “1940” and “1945“.
The medal was suspended by a ring through the suspension loop from a 38 mm wide silk moiré ribbon composed of fifteen 2 mm wide alternating red and blue stripes and two 4 mm wide blue edge stripes.
