A look at the medal awarded to successful participants in the Marche Européenne du Souvenir et de l’Amitié (MESA), an annual four-day international ‘march’ that remembers war time operations in the Ardennes region during World War II.

MESA- European March of Remembrance and of Friendship / Marche Européenne du Souvenir et de l’Amitié

It is a simple task to find out a little about the Marche Européenne du Souvenir et de l’Amitié. Various online pages record the creation of the event, some others have accounts of participation while a handful of online auction or sales sites will attempt to sell examples of the medals awarded to those successful in completing the event. However there is nothing that records the development and variety within the medal award itself. Much of the little that has been written about the medal is either wrong or misleading. Such is the nature of ‘civilian medals’- almost always forgotten, and ignored by military historians. Despite my best attempts, there remain gaps in the record below. If you can fill these in the comments section, please do. By way of example, I do not know in what year the issuing of medals commenced, nor do I know exactly when one design changed to another. With so many medals being made, it is possible that a change-over occurred in a single year with some qualifying entrants receiving one design and others receiving another.

There were 300 participants during the first march in 1967. That ‘military exercise’ was organised by the commander of the 3rd Battalion of the Ardennes Chasseur Regiment and it is still overseen by the Belgium Defence. The four day event commemorates those who lost their lives during two world wars but also focuses on the towns in the Ardennes region and many children take part, usually over shorter distances. The event was first termed March of Memory or Remembrance March (Marche du Souvenir- MS). Belgium civilians joined the march in 1968, In 1971, this changed to the March of Remembrance and Friendship (MSA). There were 5800 attendees from 12 countries that year. In 1993 the name was finally changed to European March of Remembrance and of Friendship, or more correctly- Marche Européenne du Souvenir et de l’Amitié, (MESA). This reflected the increasing size and European aspect of the event. There were 15200 participants from 20 countries on the 50th anniversary march in 2016. While the commemorative aspect remains important for many, there will be others who look on the March more as a personal challenge event. The Ardennes is a large area of forests, hills and ridges, primarily in Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and France. The course is occasionally altered to pass through different locations, venturing into France in 2005 and Luxembourg in 2007 and 2022. There are four legs over four days, the longest each day measuring 30km to 35km, supposedly a total of 125km over the duration of the event though I note that some more recently issued medals show a distance of 130km. Shorter distances are now provided for those wishing to join the event who feel they cannot manage the longer walk, these measure 8, 16 and 24km

Those who successfully complete the longer distance are awarded a commemorative medal, the Médaille commémorative de la “Marche Européenne du Souvenir et de l’Amitié” (European March of Remembrance and Friendship Commemorative Medal). This commemorative award is defined as a Commemorative Medal for Army Marches, or Belgium March Medal (along with a second march, the Vierdaagse van de IJzer), and both military and civilian participants are eligible. It can be worn by qualifying service personnel on their uniform during the year following that of their participation. Since 2005, participants who complete both marches in the same calendar year, have also been entitled to receive the ‘Belgium Defence marches’ medal.

The design of the circular silver coloured medal has altered over the decades. All versions of the medal have a relief left profile of a wild boar’s head on the obverse. This animal is found in profusion in the Ardennes forests and emblematic of the region.

Earlier medals have a 3mm wide ring around the obverse rim bearing the relief inscription “3 CHASSEURS ARDENNAIS” in the upper half and “125 km” at the bottom. Also within a raised rim, the reverse relief inscription has altered over the years. A 1973 dated medal has: “MARCHE” “DU SOUVENIR” “ET DE L’AMITIE” “ARLON-VIELSALM” “OFFERT PAR ADEPS”. ADEPS is an acronym for “Administration de l’Éducation physique, du Sport et de la Vie en Plein Air”. This administrative service of the Ministry of the French community of Belgium promote sport and physical education amongst the population of the French-speaking community. On the M.S.A. medal: four lines “MARCHE” “DU SOUVENIR” “ET DE L’AMITIE” “ARLON-VIELSALM”. Arlon and Vielsalm are two of the locations where the Green Berets were barracked during their campaign to defend their country in May 1940. On the M.E.S.A. medal: within an encircling twelve stars- “MARCHE” “EUROPÉENNE” “DU SOUVENIR” “ET DE L’AMITIE”.

Medals have a top bar with a pin brooch on the reverse to attach it to clothing. The top bar on the earliest medals had the year of the march, in relief. The earliest date I have seen is 1973. That years medal has a raised rectangular rim and lacks the floral decoration above present on later medals. The date inscription later changed to ‘M.S.A.’, and in 1993, to ‘M.E.S.A

In addition to a change in font on obverse and reverse, the relief distance inscription on the M.E.SA. medals implies an increase in total event distance, from 125km to 130km. There may be some rounding of figures taking place as the 1971 distance was 127km. Note that the design of the boars head on the medal has also changed. The circular rim has decreased in thickness and the inscription simplified slightly.

The 1973 medal shown above has a bar suspension, this changed to a loop on later medals. This secures the medal to the ribbon by a hook suspension. The ribbon was dark green, probably silk to begin with but has changed to a lighter green, now made of what is most likely polyester. This has the national colours of Belgium in three narrow 1mm edge stripes and two narrow 1mm wide red stripes centred 1cm apart.

Dated medals must have initially been issued consecutively as I have seen examples for 1973, 1974 and 1975. Medals are now issued on a five year cycle. Successful participants only receive a medal once in that five year cycle. In other years of the cycle, they receive an annual pin. I am unsure on how the numbering on these pins relates to completions. I had originally thought that a number 2 meant a second completion, but that cannot be correct, unless it coincidentally falls on a year ending with a ‘***2’.

The examples of ‘year stars’ shown here are different colours- blue 2, dark green 4, and red 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. It is the the typescript note above the medal with a group of five red stars that reveals that numbers on stars do not correspond with calendar years as this recipient’s achievements straddle the decades. If someone can reveal the true significance rather than supposition, it would be appreciated.

The changed entrant demographic in recent years was reflected in an altered reverse design to the medal that featured a ring of twelve stars around the inscription. The Flag of Europe, or European Flag, consists of twelve golden stars forming a circle on a blue field. Designed and adopted in 1955 by the Council of Europe (CoE) as a symbol for the whole of Europe, since 1985, the flag has also been adopted as a symbol of the European Union.

There is a variation on the M.E.S.A. participant’s medal that has a much reduced obverse inscription. I am unaware of the status of this medal other than a very obvious association with the event. Note that the distance inscription on this medal is 4×32 KM, totalling 128 kilometres.

A special medal was prepared for the fiftieth anniversary of the march on 21-24 June 2016. Again featuring an effigy of the Ardennes boar, it was awarded to surviving veterans who participated in the first commemorative march in 1967 that attended the finale of the 2016 event.

A fiftieth anniversary medal was also created for those walking the entire distance that year however I have been unable to find any images of the 2016 medals beyond the rather poor one shown here, still in its wrapper.

Three Points of the Compass completed the four day 125km Marche du Souvenir et de l’Amitié in 1982. Sadly, I have no photos from my four day attendance, nor much in the way of memory, for that has faded in the intervening forty years. My only memento is my M.S.A. medal, shown above. As to this years event, MESA 2023 takes place 27-30 June.

I have written a little on my participation in events such as the Rheindahlen Allied Marches and the International Four Days Marches Nijmegen, a similar 160km multi-day commemorative march that takes place in the Netherlands. Trail talk: Nijmegen Vierdaagse.