The Honorary Sabre is one of the highest

military award Military awards and decorations are distinctions given as a mark of honor for military heroism, meritorious or outstanding service or achievement. DoD Manual 1348.33, 2010, Vol. 3 A decoration is often a medal consisting of a ribbon and a medal ...

s for bravery in the

Kingdom of the Netherlands , national_anthem = ) , image_map = Kingdom of the Netherlands (orthographic projection).svg , map_width = 250px , image_map2 = File:KonDerNed-10-10-10.png , map_caption2 = Map of the four constituent countries shown to scale , capital = ...

. Only knights of the

Military William Order The Military William Order, or often named Military Order of William (Dutch: , abbreviation: MWO), is the oldest and highest honour of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is named after St. William of Gellone (755–814), the first Prince of Oran ...

are eligible to receive this sabre. The King awards this highly decorated sabre to a military officer who will wear this together with his uniform.

History of the Honorary Sabre

The Netherlands had honorary sabres of equivalent for centuries. During the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...

, the

Batavian Republic The Batavian Republic ( nl, Bataafse Republiek; french: République Batave) was the successor state to the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on 19 January 1795 and ended on 5 June 1806, with the accession of Louis Bona ...

and the

Kingdom of Holland The Kingdom of Holland ( nl, Holland (contemporary), (modern); french: Royaume de Hollande) was created by Napoleon Bonaparte, overthrowing the Batavian Republic in March 1806 in order to better control the Netherlands. Since becoming Emperor ...

such sabres already existed, and were awarded by grateful subordinates to their officer, or were awarded by a government, city, or ruler to a military officer. Sabres awarded by military officers and soldiers to their commanders during the Ten days campaign didn't have an official status yet. The honorary sabres made in 1855 were destined primarily for officers of the

Royal Dutch East Indies Army The Royal Netherlands East Indies Army ( nl, Koninklijk Nederlands Indisch Leger; KNIL, ) was the military force maintained by the Kingdom of the Netherlands in its colony of the Dutch East Indies, in areas that are now part of Indonesia. The ...

who already were knighted in the Military William Order and again showed deeds of exceptional bravery. After the royal decree in 1865 Honorary Sabres were also awarded to officers of the

Royal Netherlands Army The Royal Netherlands Army ( nl, Koninklijke Landmacht) is the land branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. Though the Royal Netherlands Army was raised on 9 January 1814, its origins date back to 1572, when the was raised – making the Dutc ...

and the

Schutterij Schutterij () refers to a voluntary city guard or citizen militia in the medieval and early modern Netherlands, intended to protect the town or city from attack and act in case of revolt or fire. Their training grounds were often on open spaces w ...

. An honorary sabre was always a nicely decorated workmanship of the weapon and its

hilt The hilt (rarely called a haft or shaft) of a knife, dagger, sword, or bayonet is its handle, consisting of a guard, grip and pommel. The guard may contain a crossguard or quillons. A tassel or sword knot may be attached to the guard or pommel. ...

; the

scabbard A scabbard is a sheath for holding a sword, knife, or other large blade. As well, rifles may be stored in a scabbard by horse riders. Military cavalry and cowboys had scabbards for their saddle ring carbine rifles and Lever action, lever-action ...

and

blade A blade is the portion of a tool, weapon, or machine with an edge that is designed to puncture, chop, slice or scrape surfaces or materials. Blades are typically made from materials that are harder than those they are to be used on. Historic ...

were decorated and engraved, and the material of the sword was gold and silver, or during more difficult times made of cheaper

Nickel silver Nickel silver, Maillechort, German silver, Argentan, new silver, nickel brass, albata, alpacca, is a copper alloy with nickel and often zinc. The usual formulation is 60% copper, 20% nickel and 20% zinc. Nickel silver does not contain the eleme ...

horn Horn most often refers to: *Horn (acoustic), a conical or bell shaped aperture used to guide sound ** Horn (instrument), collective name for tube-shaped wind musical instruments *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various ...

and gold-plated copper.

Shape of the Honorary Sabre

During the history several types of the sabre existed: *The 1st Dutch East Indies model of 1855: :At the hilt is engraved "KONINKLIJK EEREBLIJK VOOR BETOONDE DAPPERHEID" ( en, Royal Honorary Token for Displayed Bravery) *The 1st Royal Netherlands Navy Model of 1859: :The inscription of this sabre was the same as the one of 1855, however the shape is the same used by the

Royal Netherlands Navy The Royal Netherlands Navy ( nl, Koninklijke Marine, links=no) is the naval force of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. During the 17th century, the navy of the Dutch Republic (1581–1795) was one of the most powerful naval forces in the world an ...

since 1843. At the blade also a crowned

anchor An anchor is a device, normally made of metal , used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ''ancora'', which itself comes from the Greek ἄγ ...

is shown without a cable. *The 2nd Dutch East Indies model of 1861: :On the hilt is engraved "KONING WILLEM III VOOR BETOONDE DAPPERHEID" (English: King William III for Displayed Bravery), and on the blade the name and ranking of the awarded officer and cause for awarding the sabre *The 2nd Royal Netherlands Navy Model of 1864: :The hilt was made of

ivory Ivory is a hard, white material from the tusks (traditionally from elephants) and teeth of animals, that consists mainly of dentine, one of the physical structures of teeth and tusks. The chemical structure of the teeth and tusks of mammals is ...

and the anchor displayed at the blade is now uncrowned. *The model for the Royal Netherlands Army and the Schutterij of 1867 *The 3rd Dutch East Indies model of 1891: :On the hilt is engraved "NAMENS KONINGIN WILHELMINA VOOR BETOONDE DAPPERHEID" (English: on behalf of Queen Wilhelmina for Displayed Bravery) * The 4th Dutch East Indies model of 1895: :This sabre was very highly decorated ( en, Queen Wilhelmina for Displayed Bravery) * The 3rd Royal Netherlands Navy Model of 1907 * The Honorary Sabre of General Eisenhower in 1947: :General

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

received an Honorary Sabre in 1947 from the Netherlands government. This sabre is orientally shaped, and made of gold and silver, together with embedded

gemstone A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, or semiprecious stone) is a piece of mineral crystal which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. However, certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli, opal, ...

s. Engraved on the sabre is "Queen Wilhelmina to General DD Eisenhower" and "Grateful memory of the glorious liberation". The

Coat of arms of the Netherlands The coat of arms of the Kingdom of the Netherlands was originally adopted in 1815 and later modified in 1907. The arms are a composite of the arms of the former Dutch Republic and the arms of the House of Nassau, it features a checkered shield wit ...

was engraved into the pommel. The Dutch kings or queens awarded in total 106 Honorary Sabres in the Dutch East Indies. The last sabre awarded to a Dutch officer was in 1927 to Infantry Captain H. Behrens. General Eisenhower was the last person to be awarded with this honour.

References

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Bibliography

* Vogelsang, Willem. ''A golden present : symbol of gratefulness for the liberation of the Netherlands : The Sword of Honour presented by H. M. the Queen of the Netherlands to General Dwight D. Eisenhower''. Rotterdam : W. L. & J. Brusse N. V. Publishers, 1947 * Vogelsang, Willem. ''Een Gouden Geschenk : Symbool van dankbaarheid voor de bevrijding van Nederland : Het door H. M. de Koningin der Nederlanden aan Generaal Dwight D. Eisenhower aangeboden Eerezwaard''. Rotterdam : W. L. & J. Brusse's Uitgeversmaatschappij N. V., 1947 Military awards and decorations of the Netherlands Honorary weapons Modern European swords