WWI Belgian Yser death certificate?
I picked this up at a market in Brussels a few years back. I was told that it was Belgian death certificate of a soldier who would've fought in WWI.
I have no idea if this is true. The top of the certificate reads "Yser" (Battle of Yser I'm assuming) with "1914-1918" at the bottom.
Apologies, it doesn't photograph well with the UV glass I've put on it.
Any help you can provide would be appreciated.
Hello,
no death certificate at all.
Just a rather common tribute or "homage", as it says so well at the bottom in French "(hommage)".First word in the last frame.
It only mentions a day of birth, if he would have been KIA it would have mentioned that fact too.
The only addition to it are two medals he most likely got. The commemoration medal and the victory medal.
Also rather common medals to anyone who participated at WWI.
So if I'm understanding you correctly this would be a document for service during WWI, which he survived?
This would have been given to anyone who served during the first WW? Is this specific to the Yser campaign as written at the top?
Any further information or context would be appreciated.
It is just a souvenir that people could buy after the war.
Not every soldier had one, because of that fact.
It was not "given" by authority's and it is no official document for having served during the war.
And it is not specific to the Yser campaign.
If he had served during the Yser campaign, he would have got medals related to it.
Excellent. Thank you for that information, that's what I'm trying to find out.
Would you have any idea if this was sold right after the war, or ten or twenty years later?
It's also an interesting point you raised about souvenirs - were there a lot of souvenirs issued after the war?
Yes there were lots of souvenirs sold after the war!
Don't know when they appeared.
Must have been after the medals were created.
Don't know for other country's, but Belgian soldiers in title of a medal had to buy them in a shop.
They had to id them self and show a permit.
I know that bus tours were organized on battle field grounds, the first summer after the war, especially at the Yser scene.
Here is one of my copy's of the doc you showed.
It's still a nicely framed looking certificate and would look good in a WW1 display.
Very Cool.
Semper Fi
Phil
Hey Phil,
they do look nice, and present well.
They look even more impressive when displayed with the awarded medals. Some of these certificates were put in quite ornate frames, and I have several on my wall. Here are two of the sets in my collection. the bottom set was awarded to Pierre Bourlot, and the certificate is inscribed... 'Mort pour la France'.
Cheers,
Steve
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