THE BELGIAN WAR CORRESPONDENTS

1940-1946

 

 

SHORT HISTORY

 

Very few information is available on the Belgian war correspondents.

War Correspondent at work.

Some war correspondents were accredited to the Belgian Armed Forces in the United Kingdom 1940-1944
but little is known about their statute.

As Belgian Press possibilities were restricted, and only some Belgian magazines and newspapers existed,
few Belgian war correspondents are known to have been accredited.

Occupied Germany, 1945.
Paul LEVY, Belgian War Correspondent,
with the liberated PERBEL Edgard, editor of "La Libre Belgique".

Once Belgium was liberated, September 1944,  an "explosion" of Belgian newspapers and magazines occured.

Several journalists applied for the "job" of war correspondent, so it became necessary for the Ministry of Defence
to issue some regulations concerning the statute of war correspondents.

On December 6 1945 a internal memorandum of the Ministry of Defence tried
to solve this "twilight zone" problem.

Every Press organisation could accredit a war correspondent
to the Ministry of Defence or to the Allied High Command,
all costs concerning the war correspondent at their charge.

Preference was given to reserve officers, but if this was not possible,
the war correspondent was to be assimilated
to Field Officer for the duration of his accreditment.

Belgian War Correspondent taking a rest.

All war correspondents were to be attached to
 the Propaganda Service - Press Section - of the Ministry of Defence.

It was only on April 10 1946 that the statute of the war correspondent was officialised
by a memorandum of the Ministry of Defence, nr F/7450-1757.

In practice it was almost an exact copy of the internal memorandum of December 6 1945.

 

 

BADGES AND INSIGNIA

 

 

SHOULDER STRAP 1940-1945

During the UK-period, the war correspondents wore the shoulder strap slip-over
of the Allied War Correspondents,
i.e. the text "ALLIED WAR CORRESPONDENT" gold embroidered on a green background.

This was worn on both shoulder straps.

"ALLIED WAR CORRESPONDENT" shoulder strap slip-over.
 

3 War Correspondents with the specific slip-overs on their shouder straps.

The Belgian War Correspondents also wore the metal badge on the shoulder straps.

Metal badge worn on the shoulder straps.

 

OTHER INSIGNIA

The Belgian lion was worn on a circular leather background, on the field cap or béret.

On the left upper sleeve the curved "BELGIUM" arm title was worn, red lettering on a khaki background.

On the right upper arm sleeve the Belgian National Colours were worn.

 

Belgian ramping Lion.

 

Belgian National Colours.

"BELGIUM" Arm Title as worn in 1945.

Some Allied Headquarters allowed the War Correspondent to wear the Formation Badge of the HQ
to which they were attached.

COLLAR BADGE 1945 - 1946

In 1945 some new badges were introduced.

On the collars the specific badge of the Belgian war correspondents was to be worn.

Crossed sword and feather, white embroidered, or gold coloured metal.

Colar Badge of the Belgian War Coorespondent, left and right, embroidered version.

 

OLYFF Hubert, Belgian War Correspondent in 1945.
Watch the collar badges.

SHOULDER STRAP 1945 - 1946

The shoulder strap slip-overs would be dark green with the white embroidered text
"BELGIAN WAR CORRESPONDENT" for the battle-dress,
and the gold embroidered same text for the service-dress.

"BELGIAN WAR CORRESONDENT" shoulder strap slip-over.
This is a version of the late 40's.

All other insignia remained the same.

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