The Resistance Memorial Cross or Resistance Commemorative Cross ( nl, Verzetsherdenkingskruis) is a medal awarded in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

to members of the Dutch resistance during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The medal was instituted by Royal Decree (No. 104) on 29 December 1980, after the 35th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands. It is worn after the

War Memorial Cross The War Commemorative Cross ( nl, Oorlogsherinneringskruis) is a military award of the Netherlands. The medal was established to commemorate service to the Kingdom of the Netherlands during World War II. The medal was established on 16 March 1944 ...

and before the Medal of Order and Peace. The cross is only awarded at the request of a person eligible to receive it. Approximately 15,000 have been awarded, recorded in the ''Gedenkenboek verzetsherdenkingskruis''.

Criteria

The Resistance Memorial Cross may be awarded to: *Members of resistance groups recognised in the Royal Decree dated 5 September 1944 or to any resistance group known to the Council on Extraordinary Pensions or the 1940-1945 Foundation. *Anyone recognised by the Council on Extraordinary Pension as a participant in the resistance, regardless of whether they were awarded a pension. *Individuals defined by the Law on the Improvement of the Legal Status of Resistance Fighters (law of 1/20/76, Stb. 19) adjudged as having spent time in service to the resistance. *Soldiers of the Dutch Internal Armed Forces in occupied territory. *Those who participated in actions during World War II in Japanese or Japanese-occupied territory, which after the war, were designated as resistance of the enemy by the committee. *Anyone who does not meet any preceding provisions, may still be considered a participant in the resistance in the judgement of the committee.

Appearance

The medal comprises a silver cross hung from a striped ribbon. The

obverse Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to 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, ...

of the cross bears a vertical flaming sword, surmounted by the Dutch royal crown. Below the sword are the dates ''1940'' above ''1945''. The horizontal arms of the cross are inscribed with the words ''DE TYRANNY VERDRYVEN'' (Dutch: "to expel tyranny"), a line in the

Dutch national anthem "Wilhelmus van Nassouwe", usually known just as "Wilhelmus" ( nl, Het Wilhelmus, italic=no; ; English translation: "The William"), is the national anthem of both the Netherlands and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It dates back to at least 1572 ...

. The reverse bears a

Dutch lion 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 ...

, and the date of institution, 1980. The cross is suspended by a ring from a ribbon coloured with asymmetric stripes: the left half is red-white-blue (for the

Dutch flag The national flag of the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlandse vlag) is a horizontal tricolour of red, white, and blue. The current design originates as a variant of the late 16th century orange-white-blue '' Prinsenvlag'' ("Prince's Flag"), evo ...

) and the right half orange (the national color of the Netherlands) with a black border on each edge.

Recipients

Aart Alblas Aart Hendrik Alblas, aka Klaas de Waard (20 September 1918, in Middelharnis – 7 September 1944, in Mauthausen concentration camp), was a Dutch navy officer, resistance member and Engelandvaarder. He participated in several resistance operations ...

Willem Arondeus Willem Arondeus (22 August 1894 – 1 July 1943) was a Dutch artist and author who joined the Dutch anti-Nazi resistance movement during World War II. He participated in the bombing of the Amsterdam public records office to hinder the Naz ...

Tex Banwell Sergeant Keith Deamer "Tex" Banwell (8 October 1917 – 25 July 1999) was a soldier in the British Army in the Second World War. He is best known for serving as a political decoy for Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery, and for being impriso ...

* Ina Boekbinder * Jaap Burger *

Gerrit Dunnewind Gerrit is a Dutch male name meaning "''brave with the spear''", the Dutch and Frisian form of Gerard. People with this name include: * Gerrit Achterberg (1905–1962), Dutch poet * Gerrit van Arkel (1858–1918), Dutch architect * Gerrit Badenh ...

Hendrika Gerritsen Hendrika Jacoba "Kiky" Gerritsen-Heinsius (12 April 1921 – 27 December 1990) was recognized by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations on 15 September 1989, and was also awarded the Resistance Memorial Cross, Verzetsherdenkingskruis (Resistan ...

* Cornelis Pieter van den Hoek * Hans Hoets * Jan de Koning *

Sicco Mansholt Sicco Leendert Mansholt (; 13 September 1908 – 29 June 1995) was a Dutch farmer, politician and diplomat of the Social Democratic Workers' Party (SDAP) and later the Labour Party (PvdA), who served as the President of the European Commissio ...

Norbert Schmelzer Wilhelm Klaus Norbert Schmelzer (22 March 1921 – 14 November 2008) was a Dutch politician, diplomat and economist who served as Leader of the Catholic People's Party (KVP) from 1963 to 1971 and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1971 to 1973. ...

Pieter Meindert Schreuder Pieter Meindert Schreuder (17 October 1912 – 8 April 1945) was a Dutch resistance leader in the occupied Netherlands during the Second World War. Biography Schreuder was born in Groningen, Netherlands. He was a sergeant in the Dutch army and ...

Leonard Willmott Leonard Richard Douglas Willmott, MM, BEM (b. Battersea, London; 23 June 1921 – d. Tweed Heads, New South Wales; 24 May 1993) was a British soldier who saw active service as a signaller with the Special Operations Executive during World War ...

Petrus Wijtse Winkel Petrus Wijtse Winkel (13 June 1909 – 21 April 2012) was a Dutch colonial administrator in the Netherlands East Indies and centenarian. He is known for helping British military personnel escape the Dutch East Indies under Japanese occupation o ...

Ida Veldhuyzen van Zanten Ida Laura Veldhuyzen van Zanten (22 June 1911 – 19 October 2000) was a Dutch pilot and social worker who was a member of the Dutch resistance during the Second World War and a pilot in the British Air Transport Auxiliary. She was the only wom ...

Dutch Cross of Resistance

It should not to be confused with the rarer and more prestigious

Dutch Cross of Resistance The Verzetskruis 1940–1945 (English: ''Cross of Resistance 1940–1945'') is a decoration for valour in the Netherlands. Instituted on May 3, 1946, it was awarded in recognition of the individual courage shown in resistance against the ...

(Dutch: ''Verzetskruis''), the second highest decoration for valour in the Netherlands, which was instituted in 1946 and awarded to only 95 people. There was a belief after the War that awarding medals would make distinctions between different acts of resistance, all of which would have been punishable by death. After a first round of awards were made of the Dutch Cross of Resistance in 1946, it became politically difficult to agree a list of further recipients.

References

External links

''The legacy of Nazi occupation: patriotic memory and national recovery in Western Europe, 1945-1965''
Pieter Lagrou, Cambridge University Press, 2000, {{ISBN, 0-521-65180-8, p. 74-77

tracesofwar.com
Orders, decorations, and medals of the Netherlands Awards established in 1980 Dutch resistance