The medallists of the Resistance

The French Resistance medal was instituted in London by an order of General de Gaulle, “leader of fighting France”, on February 9, 1943. Its purpose was to “recognize the remarkable acts of faith and courage which, in France, in the Empire and abroad, have contributed to the resistance of the French people against the enemy and its accomplices since June 18, 1940”. This is the second, and only, decoration created, after the Order of the Liberation, during the war, by General de Gaulle.

65,068 men and women have received the French Resistance medal, including 25,646 posthumously. Among them, 12 Clairacais, a particularly high proportion for our small village. 366 natives of the Lot-&-Garonne have been decorated.

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© Ordre de la Libération
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The medal, made of bronze, bears on the front a shield with the Cross of Lorraine with the exergue: XVIII VI MCMXL (June 18, 1940), and on the back: Patria non immemor (The Fatherland does not forget). The colors of the ribbon symbolize the mourning and the blood shed for freedom.

The Order of the Liberation is the second order of the French Republic, after the Order of the Legion of Honor (Legion of Honor, military medal and national merit).
The Order of the Liberation follows the Cross of the Liberation (the 1038 Companions, cities and military units) and the medal of the French Resistance.