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King's Medal for Courage in the Cause of Freedom

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King's Medal for Courage in the Cause of Freedom
The obverse and reverse of the medal, with the obverse mounted in "Court Style"
TypeCivil decoration
Awarded forActs of courage in support of the British and Allied cause
DescriptionSilver disk, 36mm diameter.
Presented byUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
EligibilityForeign nationals
Campaign(s)World War II
Established23 August 1945
Total3,200
Ribbon bar
Precedence
Next (lower)King's Medal for Service in the Cause of Freedom
RelatedAllied Subjects' Medal

The King's Medal for Courage in the Cause of Freedom is a British medal for award to foreign nationals who aided the Allied effort during the Second World War.

Eligibility

Instituted on 23 August 1945, the medal was a reward to foreign nationals for acts of courage in furtherance of the interests of the British and Allied cause during the Second World War.[1][2] Many were awarded to members of resistance groups in German-occupied Europe, including for helping British servicemen evade the enemy or escape from occupied areas,[3] and for supplying key intelligence.[4] The award was open not only to civilians, but also to military personnel for services outside the scope of normal military duties.[5]

Distribution of the medal began in 1947. Around 3,200 medals were awarded.[6]

People who had made a deserving effort to further the British and Allied cause during World War II in less dangerous ways were eligible for the award of the King's Medal for Service in the Cause of Freedom.[6]

Description

The medal is silver, circular and 36 mm in diameter. The obverse shows a left facing crowned portrait of King George VI, surrounded by the inscription "GEORGIVS VI D: G: BR: OMN: REX ET INDIAE IMP:" The reverse bears the inscription "THE KING'S / MEDAL FOR / COURAGE / IN THE CAUSE OF / FREEDOM" in five lines, with the word courage in larger font than other words. The inscription is surrounded by a chain. The medal is suspended from a ring and has a 32 mm wide white ribbon with two narrow blue centre stripes and red edge stripes.[6]

The medal was awarded unnamed.[5]

Notable recipients

Further information: Category:Recipients of the King's Medal for Courage in the Cause of Freedom

See also

References

  1. ^ Captain H. Taprell Dorling. Ribbons and Medals. p. 130. Published A.H.Baldwin & Sons, London. 1956.
  2. ^ "Imperial Awards". It's an Honour. Honours, Symbols and Territories Branch Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Archived from the original on 23 June 2006. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  3. ^ Awardees who hid or evacuated British servicemen included:Monique de Bissy, Herman Bodson, George Doundoulakis and H. van Nispen van Sevenaer.
  4. ^ Awardees who supplied intelligence included: Torstein Raaby and Haakon Sørbye.
  5. ^ a b P E Abbott & J M A Tamplin. British Gallantry Awards. pp. 183–185. Nimrod Dix & Co, London, 1981.ISBN 0-902633-74-0
  6. ^ a b c Mussell, John W. (September 2012). The Medal Yearbook 2015. Token Publishing. p. 102. ISBN 978-1908828002.
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