Médaille des Évadés
Encyclopedia
The Médaille des Évadés is a medal
given by the government of France
, to individuals who were prisoners of war and who escaped.
The Médaille was created by a 1926 law, intended to honor combatants not only of the First World War, but also of the Franco-Prussian War
of 1870. It was later given to combatants of the Second World War as well. It was struck in bronze, being 3 cm in diameter and depicting on the obverse a left-facing bust of Marianne
wearing an oak-leaf wreath, and on the reverse a similar wreath encircling the legend "MÉDAILLE DES ÉVADÉS". The suspension ribbon is green watered silk with orange bands.
Those who were eligible for the Médaille had to meet one of the following criteria:
One of these medals is part of the Lester Watson Collection recently given to Cambridge in America and housed at the Fitzwilliam Museum
in Cambridge
, but they are not uncommon in collectors' terms.
Medal
A medal, or medallion, is generally a circular object that has been sculpted, molded, cast, struck, stamped, or some way rendered with an insignia, portrait, or other artistic rendering. A medal may be awarded to a person or organization as a form of recognition for athletic, military, scientific,...
given by the government of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, to individuals who were prisoners of war and who escaped.
The Médaille was created by a 1926 law, intended to honor combatants not only of the First World War, but also of the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
of 1870. It was later given to combatants of the Second World War as well. It was struck in bronze, being 3 cm in diameter and depicting on the obverse a left-facing bust of Marianne
Marianne
Marianne is a national emblem of France and an allegory of Liberty and Reason. She represents the state and values of France, differently from another French cultural symbol, the "Coq Gaulois" which represents France as a nation and its history, land, culture, and variety of sport disciplines in...
wearing an oak-leaf wreath, and on the reverse a similar wreath encircling the legend "MÉDAILLE DES ÉVADÉS". The suspension ribbon is green watered silk with orange bands.
Those who were eligible for the Médaille had to meet one of the following criteria:
- To have been a French soldier during the First World War, who was taken prisoner, during combat, either in Europe or in an external theater of operations, and who escaped or participated in an unsuccessful escape attempt to which there were surviving witnesses.
- To have been a citizen of Alsace-LorraineAlsace-LorraineThe Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine was a territory created by the German Empire in 1871 after it annexed most of Alsace and the Moselle region of Lorraine following its victory in the Franco-Prussian War. The Alsatian part lay in the Rhine Valley on the west bank of the Rhine River and east...
, who, between August 2, 1914 and November 1, 1918, escaped from the GermanGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
army. - To have been a civilianCivilianA civilian under international humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her country's armed forces or other militia. Civilians are distinct from combatants. They are afforded a degree of legal protection from the effects of war and military occupation...
interned in Germany, or in occupied territory, who crossed enemy lines on behalf of the French military authority. - To have been a French citizen who, during the Second World War, successfully escaped from either a prisoner-of-war camp or an internment camp.
One of these medals is part of the Lester Watson Collection recently given to Cambridge in America and housed at the Fitzwilliam Museum
Fitzwilliam Museum
The Fitzwilliam Museum is the art and antiquities museum of the University of Cambridge, located on Trumpington Street opposite Fitzwilliam Street in central Cambridge, England. It receives around 300,000 visitors annually. Admission is free....
in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, but they are not uncommon in collectors' terms.