Pierre Nolf, born in the Belgian city of Ypres in 1873, was a doctor of medicine and former government minister who tended civilian and military casualties in World War One.

After the war, he returned to working at universities and became a professor but his main interest was scientific research. In 1922 he was appointed Belgian minister of sciences and art.

In 1925, Nolf was nominated by royal decree as president of the Belgian Red Cross. His presidency saw an expansion of existing Red Cross services and the creation of others, such as an ambulance service. He remained president until 1945. He died in Brussels in 1953.

Nolf, who obtained his medical degree at the University of Liege in 1896, was a member of several prestigious institutions in Belgium, including the Royal Academy for Sciences and the Royal Academy for Medicine.

Click image for large version