Posted 13 years ago
renoir911
(36 items)
Here are more of the old French medals in my glass frame case. I did not find a categoty to display this page in. I do not know how many times I walked by these medals displayed on a wll in my parent's home without looking twice. My dad has passed away and I wish I had asked him for their history. They have been in the family for as long as we can remember. I post them here with the hopes of finding out more information about them. The first two pictures show really small medals. You can see them displayed on another page as a complete set with the full frame and this gives you a good idea of their small size. The one with the green color reads: "VIVE LE ROI" (long live the king).
Picture #3 I wish to thank Savoychina1, another collector here who responded with a link to some of these medals and I am speechless about the facts pertaining to this medal. I copied and pasted this info below:
"- Médaille Militaire - This medal ( the medal on the link provided) is roughly the French counterpart to the Distinguished Conduct Medal. It was awarded only to general officers in charge of armies, admirals in charge of fleets, or non-commissioned officers who distinguished themselves in war. The medal was instituted on 22 January 1852 during the reign of Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, President of the 2nd Republic. The example shown is as issued between 1870-1940 (French 3rd Republic)"
I am amazed to find these details and to have these medals right here in my home. And to think my ancestors were awarded these medals!!!!
Thank you.
another great website...
http://www.medal-medaille.com/index.php?cPath=59&sort=2a&page=5
Thank you so much for your help. The information I am finding out thanks to you is invaluable. You are going to keep me busy searching through the websites you provided LOL.
I like what you said, you walked by so many times and never ask anything about them. If we see something of interest we should ask and then we would know more of the true facts instead of guessing. You have some very nice items and I'm glad you shared with us, thank you.
Those medals are to be cherished. You should try to find out more about your ancestors. How blessed you are to have these ! I am taking pictures and marking where and who they are from so my only child , a daughter, knows where they came from. After several relatives have died it's getting hard to separate which item came from who.
Thank you Debra.
The first medal to the left is the French equivalent of the US Congressional Medal of Honor; the award has five classes. I think this is what is known as the Grand Cross (my translation), the highest, but I've never seen one. Since there is a crown I'm guessing it is synonymous with the Emperor, which Napoleon had himself proclaimed (normally a wreath is present). This is the greatest honor that can bestowed upon a solider, normally awarded during times of war or there after.
My wife's father was a Free French officer (eventually a Colonel) in Indochina for 10 years, 6 months of which he was a Japanese POW. Colonel Blanchard was a marine infantryman who once commanded the Senegalese army He received the Legion de Honor Officer in the 40's or early 50's. I'm still researching.
At ceremonial functions the Grand Croix (plaque en vermeil) would be worn as a red sash along with a gold figure embroidered on the jacket, which was form fit for the officer at the time of the award. The link shows the red sash and if it was my guess I would have to say that it was closed by this medal. All other stages have the medal with wreaths either worn around the neck or on the pocket. The Grand Officer also has a silver embroidered patch on his jacket. Put this in a safe.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legion_of_Honour