Non-commissioned officer with the Civic Guard Infantry, dress outfit, 1905-1914

Between 1830 and 1914 Belgium featured a citizens’ militia, the Civic Guard. In peacetime it was not part of the army, but rather tasked with maintaining law and order; in wartime it could be incorporated into the armed forces.

The general appearance, regulated in 1898, was that of the majority of Belgian civil servants, with the army peaked cap of the corresponding period, a blue tunic and black trousers.

The belt plate with the lion is bronze. The two silver grenades on the collar of the jacket are a typical Civic Guard uniform embellishment. A red woollen “wing” on the shoulder refers to the infantry. The 1 designates the 1st Civic Guard Company (see photo left).

Upon the outbreak of the war in 1914 the Guard was demilitarised and its 46,000 men were used on an ad hoc basis to control crossroads or to guard depots and prisoners of war