Cross of Merit
On 20 February 1941, the Dutch government in exile in London instituted several new awards for bravery. The new way that wars were fought, with civilian resistance and the merchant navy in great peril, made this necessary. Amongst the new decorations was the "Cross of Merit", (Kruis van Verdienste) an award for "working in the interest of the Netherlands while faced with enemy actions and distinguishing oneself through valor and resolute behavior".
Cross of Merit
Defensie · CC0
- Name
- Cross of Merit
- Period
- 1941
- Region
- Netherlands
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Documentary summary
On 20 February 1941, the Dutch government in exile in London instituted several new awards for bravery. The new way that wars were fought, with civilian resistance and the merchant navy in great peril, made this necessary. Amongst the new decorations was the "Cross of Merit", (Kruis van Verdienste) an award for "working in the interest of the Netherlands while faced with enemy actions and distinguishing oneself through valor and resolute behavior".
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wikidata · Q846562
In this article
Overview
Overview
One did not have to be on the front line to win this award. The cross has often been awarded to those who managed to flee to England and to the armed resistance. It was rarely awarded after the Korean War, but since the fighting of the Netherlands army in Afghanistan, Uruzgan, this World War II decoration has been awarded again on a regular basis with the latest on 7 October 2009 to eleven Dutch soldiers. During the World War II in the Far East this cross was awarded to several people employed by the Koninklijke Paketvaart-Maatschappij (K.P.M.) as some of their merchant navy ships had been commissioned by the Dutch Navy during the Battle of the Java Sea. In case of repeated awards a large "2" or "3" is pinned to the ribbon. The Cross of Merit is the fourth-highest military decoration still being awarded for bravery and has precedence after the Bronze Cross.
Van links naar rechts: Kruis van Verdienste, het Bronzen Kruis en de Bronzen Leeuw.
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Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Cross of Merit • Presenter — Kingdom of the Netherlands • Type — Military award • Awarded For — Those working in the interest of the Netherlands while faced with enemy actions and distinguishing oneself through valor and resolute behavior • Status — Currently awarded • Established — 20 February 1941 • Total Awarded — 2,099 • Higher — Bronze Cross • Lower — Airman's Cross • Caption2 — Ribbon bar of the Cross of Merit
Chronology
Dated record
Chronology
Explore 1941
The full dated record · 3 entries
1941
Cross of Merit first recorded.
1941
Cross of Merit is recorded from 1941.
1941
Cross of Merit was established or created on 20 February 1941.
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- Netherlands
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Staatscourant no. 3 van 21 maart 1941
- 2.K.B. van 10 april 1946).
- 3.K.B. no. 1 van 20 november 1941
- 4.Nederlandse Staatscourant no. 6 van 14 juni 1941)
- 5.K.B. van 1 juni 1944, Staatsblad E38.
- 6.Henny Meijer
- 7.Afgebeeld op [https://web.archive.org/web/20230127070923/https://www.onderscheidingen.nl/nl/medailles/dapperheid/kv.html Gearchiveerd op 27 januari 2023.
- 8.Minister Zalm betuigt spijt aan Indië-veteranen. Trouw.
- 9.Koninklijke onderscheidingen voor dapperheid uitgereikt, persbericht Ministerie van Defensie, 16 oktober 2008. Gearchiveerd op 12 maart 2016.
- 10.Onderscheidingen voor heldenmoed, website RTL Nieuws, 14 april 2010. Gearchiveerd op 30 juni 2017.
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Medals
1,069 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
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- Cross of LibertyTerminology
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- Cross of Merit of the Minister of Defence of the Czech RepublicTerminology
- Cross of Merit with SwordsTerminology
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