King Albert and Queen Elisabeth of Belgium, Devreese, Godefroid, 1916

This medal depicting the busts of King Albert and Queen Elisabeth of Belgium is made by Godefroid Devreese, in Belgium in 1916. Albert I (1875-1934) was King of Belgium from 1909 until his death in 1934. On 2 August 1914 he rejected Emperor Wilhelm II's ultimatum for the free passage of German troops through Belgium, and the German invasion followed two days later, violating Belgium's neutrality. During the course of the war, the King and Queen resided in La Panne, situated in the non-occupied zone in Southern Flanders. Although Queen Elisabeth was a daughter of Duke Karl Theodor of Bavaria (she married Albert in 1900), she remained deeply devoted to Belgium and was active on behalf of charitable institutions. In 1923 Charles Lefebure devoted his book about the Belgian medals of the First World War to her. This medal appeals for solidarity amongst the Belgian people, a theme which was predominant in Belgian war medals.

Obverse: Head & shoulders of Albert in military costume in front and Elisabeth with tiara behind, both looking to left. Inscription. Reverse: An old man, naked except for a long cloak blowing in the wind carries a boy, barely wrapped in a cloth, on his shoulders across the river. A thistle bush in the foreground and trees in the background. Inscription.