A superb documented multi-decoration group of 11 including a brace of 'Resistance' medals to a Belgian Patriot: Sous-Lieutenant Adolphe Henri Joseph Leonard, Intelligence and Action Service, Belgian Resistance Movement

- Order of Leopold (Civil). Fifth class 'Chevalier'. Bilingual legend
- Order of the Crown. Fifth class 'Chevalier' breast badge. With silver 'L Palm'
- Cross of War 1940 (Croix de Guerre). With bronze 'L' cypher 'Palm'
- Armed Resistance Medal
- Civil Decoration. Second class silver medal with clasp '1940-1945'
- Medal of the Combattant War Volunteer 1940-45. Clasp 'Pugnator'
- Commemorative War Medal 1940-1945. With 'Swords' (combattant)
- Civil Resistance Medal 1940-1945
- Medal of the Military Combattant 1940-45
- Special Decoration 'Cooperation' legend. 1st Class gilt & enamel with rosette
- Commemorative Medal of the Reign of King Albert 1 1909-1934

Resistance Gallantry Citation: The awards of the Order of the Crown (with Palm), Cross of War (with Palm) and Resistance Medal (Armed), awarded with below citation (translated from French language):

Quote,

From June 1942 until the day of the liberation of the territory, he devoted himself within an intelligence and action service to the fight against the invader.

He showed in the execution of his mission, courage and a total abnegation

Unquote.

Adjutant Leonard, also received a 'Certificate of Service' from the British, signed by Field Marshal B. L. Montgomery, Commander in Chief 21st Army Group. This issued on 26 March 1946 (a photocopy of the award document is included in the archive). The certificate states:

Quote,

By this Certificate of Service I record my appreciation of the aid rendered Monsieur Adolphe H. J. Leonard as a volunteer in the service of the United Nations for the great cause of freedom

Unquote.

Important: The grouping complete with the original award brevets for all of the 11 x Orders, Decorations & Medals

Medals verification: The medals awarded per below dates

- Order of Leopold (Civil Division) Fifth class: 22 November 1961
- Order of the Crown. Fifth class. With silver 'Palm': 13 March 1947
- Cross of War 1940 (Croix de Guerre). With bronze 'L' cypher 'Palm': 13 March 1947
- Resistance Medal: 13 March 1947
- Civil Decoration. Second class silver medal with clasp '1940-1945': 29 June 1949
- Medal of the Combattant War Volunteer 1940-45 'Pugnator': 8 April 1969
- Commemorative War Medal 1940-45. With 'Swords': 31 December 1946
- Civil Resistance Medal 1940-1945: 26 October 1951
- Medal of the Military Combattant 1940-1945: 15 June 1971
- Special Decoration with 'Cooperation' legend. 1st Class gilt: 8 April 1971
- Commemorative Medal of the Reign of King Albert 1 1909-1934: 18 March 1971

Sold with the recipients original - and scarce seen - Brevets / Letters of Notification, for the award of his 3 x 'Resistance' military rank awards:

- Lettre D'Avis: For 'Auxiliary' in Intelligence & Action Service, from 1 July 1942 (awarded 9 September 1948)

- Lettre D'Avis: For 'Adjutant' in Intelligence & Action Service, from 15 June 1943 (awarded 8 November 1946)

- Lettre D'Avis: For Auxiliary in Intelligence & Action Service, from 15 November 1943 (awarded 8 November 1946)

Very Important: The 'Honorific' titles above were awarded in order for 3 x different category's of 'Resistance' service;, i.e., firstly 'Military, economic and Political Intelligence'; secondly 'Counter-propaganda' and lastly 'Escape of airmen, agents and volunteers'

Archive: Separate from above, the group is sold with a further archive of more then 35 x pages of letters/ documents pertaining to the recipients War Time services. These including summary's of service with various Ministry of Defence and Resistance Movements, all in French language, and too many to list here.

Adolphe Henri Joseph Leonard, was a native of Vaux-sous-Chevremont, in the Walonia region of Belgium, where he was born on, 17 August 1908. In 1945, he was recorded living at, 3 Emile Vandervelde, Comblain-au-Pont, near Liege, Walonia, Belgium. During the Second World War, Adolphe was mobilized in September 1939, and is confirmed having been an Army veteran of the '18 Days' Campaign of 1940, during which he appears to have been attached to a Gendarmerie (or Military Police) unit. During the period of enemy occupation - and most uncommonly - the accompanying official paperwork indicate that Adolphe was a member of both the Civil Resistance, and the Armed Resistance groups. His membership of Civil Resistance was cited as 14 October 1941 to 31 July 1943, and an active member of the Armed Resistance between 1 July 1942 to 30 September 1944 (this last date being the liberation of Belgium date)

At the end of the Second World War, members of various Belgian resistance networks were nationally recognized and honoured by the Belgian State, and had bestowed upon them the honorific status of Intelligence and Action Agent (ARA). This national recognition was independent of the respective resistance network to which the recipients were attached, and was intended as an individual honour in recognition of the exceptional quality of the services the 'Agent' had rendered. These ARA agents performed specific services classified as under, the list including in some instances mention of some resistance networks which were prominent in having their agents perform particular categories of service:

- Military, economic and political intelligence: the Clarence network , the Luc-Marc network , Zero intelligence service, Antoine service, etc

- Sabotage: the Luc Network , the G Group , the Antoine Service, etc

- Escape of airmen, agents and volunteers: the Luc network, Zéro, the Comète network , the Pat O'Leary network , etc

- Counter-propaganda: the Carol network , the Samoyed network , etc

- Fight against the deportation of workers and the delivery of products: the Socrates network , the Baboon-Othello network , the Man Friday network , etc

- Links by radio and by land or air in favor of networks

- Guerrilla training within certain armed resistance movements such as the Secret Army and the Independence Front

- Meteorological observations (BEAGLE network) and various other activities in favor of the allied armies

On, 30 September 1945, the Association of Intelligence and Action Agents was established in Brussels, Belgium. On 25 February 1998, the Association was restyled, under Royal Patronage as The Royal Union of Intelligence and Action Services, or RUSRA. The purpose of the RUSRA being to promote, preserve and coordinate actions and events to preserve the memory of the 18,716 'Belgian Patriots' who were officially recognized as Intelligence and Action (ARA) agents

The Union of Intelligence and Action Services (USRA) brings together the survivors of Belgian clandestine networks, as well as the widows and orphans of agents executed or died in deportation

The end of the war was, from the point of view of the recognition of each other's merits, a difficult period. A distinction had to be made between occasional members of resistance networks, late-breaking "affiliates" and those who carried out "real and daily military activity in occupied territory". The criteria for granting the status Intelligence & Action Agent' was very detailed and out of 45,000 case files received, only 18,561 were actually recognized. 35% of which were awarded posthumously

Military ranks - very real - were awarded to people who had particularly distinguished themselves in the resistance. The heads of large networks (one Colonel (Walthère Dewé posthumously) and six Lieutenant-Colonels (Jean Burgers, posthumously, Andrée De Jongh, Hector Demarque, Emmanuel Jooris, posthumously, Fernand Kerkhofs and Max Londot), important assistants (50 Majors, one quarter of which posthumously, 190 captains, one quarter of which posthumously), section heads or important mission officers (1,291 Lieutenants or Sub-Lieutenants of which 47% posthumously), i.e. 1,538 people who thus received official recognition via their ARA status. 3,573 other resistance fighters received the rank of 'Warrant Officer' (in Belgian the rank is shown as 'Adjutant' (for RA non-commissioned officers).

The ephemera (award documents) in good condition, with only minor marks commensurate with age & handling

An extremely rare documented combination of awards and documents - especially with both types of Resistance Medals- to a brave & extremely devoted Belgian patriot

The archive of ephemera with some minor creases, bumps and tears, in overall good condition

Condition: Medals EF

Code: 22606