Insigne des blessés militaires

Insigne des blessés militaires
Awarded by  France
Type	Medal
Eligibility	Military
Awarded for	Injury sustained during time of war
Status	Unofficial
Statistics
First awarded	11 December 1916
Ribbon Bar of the Medal

The Insigne des blessés militaires (Medal of the Wounded) is a French military decoration for wounds received in the line of duty.

History

It was instituted by a law of 11 December 1916, after an idea by the nationalist writer Maurice Barrès. It can be awarded to wounded soldiers, prisoners of war, deportees and internees from the Résistance de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, then to soldiers wounded in more recent conflicts - in the words of the law, "to soldiers under arms who have received an injury in the course of military operations or in maintaining order, in the presence of the enemy or due to enemy action" and (by an extending decree of 8 November 1952) "to prisoners and internees, as well as prisoners of war, wounded in the course of their detention". War injuries are recognized and confirmed, using a certificate of the origin of injury, a detailed report, pension notifications, etc., by the different bodies of the three military arms. This medal is not recognized by the Chancery of the Legion of Honor, and therefore is not an official French decoration, so it does not appear on any official order of precedence charts. However, due to its value amongst recipients, it is often worn with other official decorations. Ironically, the medal is available from Monnaie de Paris, along with other official French decorations.

References

• http://www.france-phaleristique.com/blesinsigns.htm
• http://heureux-qui.com/medailles/bles1.htm