Belgium: Volunteer Combatants Medal 1914-1918 (Medaille du Combattant Volontaire 1914-18 / Medaille van de Vrijwillige Strijder 1914-1918)

The medal was established by Royal Decree on 17 June 1930 and was awarded to Belgian citizens and foreign nationals who had voluntarily enlisted for service in the Belgian Armed Forces during the Great WarThe award criteria required voluntary enlistment and service in a combat unit in a danger zone for not less than 6 months during the Great War. Later, the eligibility criteria were extended to include volunteers, older than 40 years of age who had served for 3 months in a combat unit in a danger zone, who were older than 50 years of age who had served for 1 month in a combat unit in a danger zone, and medical personnel who had served for 2 years in non-occupied Belgium. Additional provisions were made regarding awards to youngsters who had fled occupied Belgium and persons who were wounded in action, and posthumous awardsCondition: GVF