The Order of the Red Cross ( Serbian: Орден Црвеног крста) was a

military decoration 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 ...

of the

Kingdom of Serbia The Kingdom of Serbia ( sr-cyr, Краљевина Србија, Kraljevina Srbija) was a country located in the Balkans which was created when the ruler of the Principality of Serbia, Milan I, was proclaimed king in 1882. Since 1817, the Princi ...

Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchy ruled by a king or queen * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and media Television * ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...

and

Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 unt ...

. Established in 1876 and first awarded in 1877 by the Serbian Red Cross Society, it was awarded for exceptional care of the wounded and sick during war time. Decorations of the Serbian Red Cross Society had the rank of state decorations.

History and Criteria

The Order of the Red Cross or Cross of the Serbian Red Cross Society ( Serbian: ) was founded in 1877, It was first awarded during the Wars of Independence against the Ottomans Empire (1876-1878). The Cross was awarded by the Board of the

Red Cross Society The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the world's largest group of non-governmental organizations working on humanitarian aid, is composed of the following bodies: *The ''International Committee of the Red Cross'' (ICRC), a comm ...

, with the approval of the Chancellor of Royal Orders, for exceptional merit and services rendered to the Serbian Red Cross in time of war or peace, and for care and assistance to the sick and wounded, philanthropy and personal merit. The Order of the Red Cross was founded in a single Class. After 1918 and the Proclamation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, the Cross of the Serbian Red Cross Society became known as the Order of the Red Cross.

Appearance

Principality of Serbia

The decoration was a cross-shaped silver breast badge with red enamel on both sides; the front features the Coat of arms of the Principality of Serbia and a crown with a metal loop at the top for attaching the ribbon. The reverse features the inscription: “1876”, date of the establishment of the Red Cross of Serbia. The Cross was worn suspended from a tricolor ribbon

Kingdom of Serbia

The appearance of the Cross was modified after the Proclamation of the Kingdom of Serbia in 1882, replacing the Coat of arms of the Principality of Serbia with the Coat of arms of the Kingdom of Serbia, it featured a crown with a metal loop at the top to attach the ribbon. The reverse had the same inscription as the first version: “1876”. The Cross was worn suspended from a white ribbon when awarded for services during peacetime and white with red stripes on the edge for services during wartime.

Recipients

* During the Serbo-Bulgarian 1885-86 war 477: (284 to foreigners). * During the First and Second Balkan war as well as the First World War (up until 1921): 3135 (1807 to foreigners). * From 1922 to 1936: 674 (145 to foreigners).

Images

File:Cross of the Serbian Red Cross Society1876.jpg, Order of the Red Cross, Principality of Serbia File:Florasandesredcrossmedal.jpg,

Flora Sandes Flora Sandes (, 22 January 1876 – 24 November 1956) was a British woman who served as a member of the Royal Serbian Army in World War I. She was the only British woman officially to serve as a soldier in that war. Initially a St. John Ambulan ...

, wearing the Order of the Red Cross (third from left)

References

{{Orders, decorations, and medals of Serbia, state=collapsed Orders, decorations, and medals of the Principality of Serbia Orders, decorations, and medals of the Kingdom of Serbia Orders, decorations, and medals of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia Awards established in 1877

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

1870s establishments in Serbia 1877 establishments in the Ottoman Empire