FRANCE ORDER OF LIBERATION Rare slipcase-binder containing the directory of the Companions of the Liberation presented to General Charles de Gaulle by the Council of the Order of the Liberation on 29 January 1945 Work of Maison Cartier in London In silver with an enamelled vermeil Companion of the Order of the Liberation badge on the first cover. Ribbed spine. Open, it is engraved inside with the motto of the order "PATRIAM SERVANDO VICTORIAM TULIT" and the dedication: "To General de Gaulle / Founder of the Order of the Liberation / Tribute of respectful loyalty from his Companions / 29 January 1941- 29 January 1945 / On behalf of the Council / The Chancellor / Signed: G d'Argenlieu". English work. Title hallmarks for London 1944. Goldsmith's hallmark "J.C" of the London branch of Cartier. 24 x 16 cm. Gross weight: 1073 g. It contains : - a 36-page directory of the Companions of the Liberation, with the Order's insignia on the cover and a facsimile of the letter from Chancellor d'Argenlieu to the General dated 29 January 1944; - a 14-page booklet listing the Companions of the Liberation in 1944; - a 35-page booklet listing the Companions of the Liberation in 1945; - a 2-page "Addenda - corrigenda"; - a note headed "LEGÉNÉRAL DEGAULLE" with handwritten annotation "On 20 February 1946, there were 1,012 Companions of the Liberation, 219 of them posthumously. A. E. Historical background : At the meeting of the Council of the Order of the Liberation on 29 January 1945, commemorating four years since the Order was founded (the Order having been created "stricto sensu" on 16 November 1940), chaired by General de Gaulle in person, this binder was presented to him as a personal gift. Some of the General's thoughts on the Order emerged from this meeting, notably that he envisaged an ideal number of "companions" of between 2,000 and 3,000 and that the headquarters should be on rue François Ier. The production of this presentation case by the London branch of Cartier was no accident: while the companion crosses were made by Pinches, the model was produced by the London branch of the jeweller Cartier, based on designs by Free French Forces captain Tony Mella. The director of the London branch was Alfred Etienne Bellenger, who, along with his wife Madeleine, were early supporters of the Free French in London and personal friends of the General. Provenance : - Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970) - Then Admiral Philippe de Gaulle (1921-2024) - Then descendants