Fire Cross 1914-1918 - Award Description

Award Description

The Fire Cross was a 44mm wide by 54mm high (including ribbon loop) bronze cross quadrate. Except for a 3mm wide plain border, the cross arms were striated, horizontally for the lateral arms and vertically for the vertical arms on both the obverse and reverse. The 30mm wide by 37mm high central rectangle bore on its obverse, 5mm wide vertical laurel branches on either side, at center, the relief image of a deserted battlefield with at the forefront, the relief image of a World War 1 Belgian helmet over a bayonet, farther and on a slight elevation at left, a 75mm howitzer, at upper right, the Sun breaking through clouds. On its reverse, a large laurel branch extending diagonally from bottom left to top right and bisected by the relief inscription on two lines in Latin "SALUS PATRIAE SUPREMA LEX" roughly translating into "THE NATION'S SALVATION IS OUR HIGHEST DUTY". In the top left corner, a royal crown from which seven relief rays extend downwards, at bottom right, the relief years on two rows "1914" and "1918", at bottom left just below the laurel branch's stem, the name of the awards designer, "A. Rombaut".

The cross hangs from a 36mm wide red silk moiré ribbon with three 4mm wide longitudinal blue stripes, one at center, the other two on either side 1mm from the ribbon's edges.