France - Military medal - Knight of the Blood Merit...

• The decoration was originally instituted in 1951 by Roger Guénin, at the time a prominent figure within the French blood donor movement. • Issuing authority: It is an official internal decoration of the Fédération Française pour le Don de Sang Bénévole (FFDSB), the French federation for voluntary blood donors. • Purpose: The medal was designed to honor blood donors, former donors, organizers and activists who have dedicated themselves in an exceptional and selfless way to promoting voluntary blood donation and the development of the blood transfusion chain in France. * • It displays the right-facing profile of Marianne (or Ceres), the national symbol of the French Republic. She wears a laurel wreath representing honor and achievement. Around the edge is engraved the official text REPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE. • The Bélière (Hanging): The medal is attached to the ribbon via a decorative element of intertwined oak leaves (symbol of strength and civil merit) and laurel leaves (symbol of glory). • The Ribbon: This particular ribbon is vertically divided into a black and red field with thin yellow borders at the sides. In the French decoration system of the 19th and 20th centuries, this specific red-black color combination was commonly awarded to: • Medals for firefighters (Sapeurs-Pompiers). • Decorations from the Ministry of the Interior (Ministère de l’Intérieur) for courage and self-sacrifice. • Regional or departmental honorary distinctions for long-standing faithful service to local governments. Historical Context These kinds of silver or bronze honorary medals were created to reward citizens, civil servants, or rescuers who had demonstrated exceptional dedication to the community or the state. Because the French state had hundreds of different ministerial medals (for railways, labor, customs, police, fire services, etc.), a major reform was carried out in 1963 under President Charles de Gaulle. Many of these specific, older medals were abolished at that time and replaced by the Ordre national du Mérite. This confirms that this specimen is a beautiful, historical collectible that has not been issued in this form for decades.

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