The War Commemorative Cross () is a
military award of the Netherlands. The medal was established to commemorate service to the
Kingdom of the Netherlands
The Kingdom of the Netherlands (, ;, , ), commonly known simply as the Netherlands, is a sovereign state consisting of a collection of constituent territories united under the monarch of the Netherlands, who functions as head of state. The re ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. The medal was established on 16 March 1944 by royal decree of
Queen Wilhelmina
Wilhelmina (; Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Maria; 31 August 1880 – 28 November 1962) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1890 until her abdication in 1948. She reigned for nearly 58 years, making her the longest-reigning monarch in Dutch history, as ...
.
Appearance
The medal is an irregular bronze cross with concave ends on the arms. The
obverse
The obverse and reverse are the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags, seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, ''obverse'' ...
bears a central portrait of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands encircled by a fastened garter. On the garter are the words ''VOOR KRIJGSVERRICHTINGEN'' (''FOR MILITARY OPERATIONS''). The arms of the cross bear the
royal monogram
Royal may refer to:
People
* Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name
* A member of a royal family or royalty
Places United States
* Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community
* Royal, Illinois, a village
* Royal, ...
of Queen Wilhelmina with an oak wreath between the arms of the cross. The reverse is plain. The cross is mounted on an orange and green coloured ribbon wide.
Clasps
When the cross was established in 1944, the following clasps were initially awarded:
;General Military Operations
* ''KRIJG TER ZEE 1940-1944''
* ''OORLOGSVLUCHTEN 1940-1944''
* ''OORLOGSDIENST-KOOPVAARDIJ 1940-1944''
* ''OORLOGSDIENST-VISSERIJ 1940-1944''
* ''KRIJG TER LAND 1940-1944''
;Special Military Operations
* ''NEDERLAND MEI 1940''
* ''NEDERLANDSCH-INDIË 1941-1942''
* ''JAVA-ZEE 1941-1942''
* ''NOORD-AFRIKA-ITALIË 1942-1944''
In 1947, a revised royal decree was promulgated and new clasps were announced in the Official Gazette No I 6 on 6 January 1948:
;General Military Operations
* ''KRIJG TER ZEE 1940-1945''
* ''OORLOGSVLUCHTEN 1940-1945''
* ''OORLOGSDIENST-KOOPVAARDIJ 1940-1945''
* ''OORLOGSDIENST-VISSERIJ 1940-1945''
* ''KRIJG TE LAND 1940-1945''
;Special Military Operations
* ''NEDERLAND MEI 1940''
* ''NEDERLANDS-INDIË 1941-1942''
* ''JAVAZEE 1941-1942''
* ''MIDDELLANDSE ZEE 1940-1945'' (replaced ''NOORD-AFRIKA-ITALIË 1942-1944'')
* ''ARNHEM–NIJMEGEN–WALCHEREN 1944''
* ''NORMANDIË 1944''
* ''OOST-AZIË–ZUID-PACIFIC 1942-1945''
References
{{reflist
Military awards and decorations of the Netherlands