Military Order of William
Military William Order Militaire Willems-Orde | |
---|---|
Roy de Ruiter | |
Total inductees | 5,877 |
Precedence | |
Next (higher) | None (highest) |
Next (lower) | Cross for Courage and Fidelity |
Ribbon bar of Knight Grand Cross Ribbon bar of Commander Ribbon bar of Knight 3rd class Ribbon bar of Knight 4th class |
The Military William Order, or often named Military Order of William (
In the spring of 1940 it was decided that civilians would receive the Order for heroic acts in the resistance. After the liberation of the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies, several men and one woman from the resistance were awarded it.
History
Most knighthoods of the Military Order of William were awarded in 1815 and shortly afterwards to military of the Allies that fought
During the 19th century the Order was awarded to military serving in the campaign against the Belgian Revolution and military serving in the Dutch East Indies, mostly in the Aceh War. Until 1940, a total of 5,874 persons had been awarded the Military Order of William. In 1940, the Order was awarded to soldiers who had served with extreme valour in the defence of the Netherlands from the invasion by Nazi-Germany. In 1944 and 1945, with the liberation of the Netherlands from German occupation, the Order was again awarded, this time to Dutch citizens as well as members of the Allied forces for deeds of gallantry. Of the 3,500 servicemen who served in the Netherlands United Nations Detachment in the Korean War, three servicemen – two posthumously – were admitted to the Order. Since 1940, 199 names have been added to the register of the Military Order of William. The latest conflict that has been cause for the honour to be awarded was the war in Afghanistan.
On 29 May 2009 a ceremony was held at which the knights met, at Queen
Ranks
By 1945, the following classes of the Military William Order were in existence.
- Knight Grand Cross – wears the badge on a sash on the right shoulder, plus the star on the left chest;
- Commander – wears the badge on a necklet, plus an identical breast cross on the left chest;
- Knight 3rd class – wears the badge on a ribbon with rosette on the left chest;
- Knight 4th class – wears the badge on a ribbon on the left chest.
The rank of Knight Grand Cross could also be awarded as an exceptional presentation to heads of state which had displayed feats of loyalty to the Netherlands during wartime. Only the US President
The 4th class could also be awarded as a unit presentation to military commands which had displayed feats of gallantry during wartime.
Knight Grand Cross (badge with sash and accompanying star) |
Commander (badge with necklet and breast cross) |
Knight 3rd class (badge with ribbon) |
Knight 4th class (badge with ribbon) |
---|---|---|---|
Insignia
The badge of the Order is a white-enamelled
The star of the Knight Grand Cross is a silver, 8-pointed star with straight rays; the obverse of the badge of the Order, minus the crown, appears at its centre.
The breast cross of the Commander is completely identical to the obverse of the badge of the Order.
The ribbon of the Order is orange (House of Orange-Nassau) with blue (Nassau-blue) stripes near the border.
Knighthood oath
The oath to be taken by the accolade to the Military Order of William states: "I swear that I shall conduct myself as a faithful and valiant Knight, to stand ever ready to defend King and Country with my Life, and with all my Powers to always strive to be worthy of this Distinction, which the King has bestowed upon me. So help me God almighty."
Unit award
To be awarded the Military William Order a military unit must distinguish itself in battle to such a degree as would warrant the personal presentation of the Military William Order. The unit's
The Orange Lanyard is worn as a cord around the right shoulder and can be worn simultaneously with the French or Belgian Fourragère of the Croix de Guerre. The Orange Lanyard is considered a permanent decoration and is worn for the duration of a military member's career.
The
- The 7th Field Battalion of the Royal Netherlands Indies Army (KNIL) (1849) – no longer existing
- The 3rd Field Battalion of the Royal Netherlands Indies Army (KNIL) (1877) – no longer existing
- The Marechaussee Corps of Aceh and Dependencies of the Royal Netherlands Indies Army (KNIL) (1930) – no longer existing
- The Royal Netherlands Air Force that continues the traditions of:
- the Military Air Arm in the Netherlands (18 May 1940) – no longer existing
- the Military Air Arm of the Royal Netherlands Indies Army (KNIL) (1942) – no longer existing
- The Royal Netherlands Naval Aviation Service of the Royal Netherlands Navy (1942)
- The U.S. 82nd Airborne Division for gallantry during Operation Market Garden(1944)
- The 'Prinses Irene' Fusilier Guards Regiment that continues the traditions of the Royal Netherlands 'Prinses Irene' Brigade (1945)
- The Royal Netherlands Marine Corps(1946)
- The Royal Netherlands Navy Submarine Service of the Royal Netherlands Navy (1947)
- The 'Van Heutsz' Regiment of the Royal Netherlands Armythat continues the traditions of the Royal Netherlands Indies Army (KNIL) (1972)
- The Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigadefor gallantry during Operation Market Garden in 1944 (31 May 2006) – no longer existing
- The Korps Commandotroepen (15 March 2016)[8]
Most military units or formations of the Netherlands and foreign armed forces were decorated as a consequence of their actions during the Second World War. In 2016 the Korps Commandotroepen were awarded the Military William Order for their actions in Afghanistan.
Current living members
As of 2021[update], there are only three living knights of the Military Order of William, all Dutch.[9] Below a list of the names of the living Knights, in order of the Order being awarded. Between brackets the date when they were inducted into the Order:
- Netherlands: Maj. Marco Kroon (29 May 2009)
- Netherlands: Lt. Col. Gijs Tuinman (4 December 2014)
- Netherlands: Maj. Roy de Ruiter (31 August 2018)
Privileges
Members of the Military William Order are awarded certain privileges:
- When wearing the decorations, a member must be saluted by all Dutch military personnel regardless of rank or branch.
- Once a year all members of the Order are invited to the palace by the monarch on the Ridderdag (Knights day).
- Individual members of the Order are granted an annual pension by the Dutch state, when they receive it while holding a rank below officer.
- Individual members of the Order are granted a military funeral.
- Members of the Order are granted VIP seats during military ceremonies, the annual address of parliament by the monarchand during state funerals.
See also
- List of knights grand cross of the Military Order of William
- Order of the Netherlands Lion
- Order of Orange Nassau
- Dutch Cross of Resistance
References
- ^ "De Kanselarij der Nederlandse Orden" [Chancellery of the Netherlands' Orders]. Chancellery of the Dutch Orders (in Dutch). Retrieved 12 October 2022.
- KRO (in Dutch). Archived from the originalon 31 December 2018. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
- ^ "Newsletter no. 5.2" (PDF). Museum of the Chancery of Dutch orders (in Dutch). 2018.
- ^ Scheltema, Jacobus (1816). "List of recipients in 1815". De Laatste Veldtogt van Napoleon Buonaparte [The last campaign of Napoleon Bonaparte] (in Dutch). Amsterdam: Hendrik Gartman. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
- ^ Ministerie van Defensie (10 February 2009). "Eerste Militaire Willems-Orde in 50 jaar" [First Military Williams order in 50 years]. www.defensie.nl (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 27 December 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
- ^ Defensie, Ministerie van (31 August 2018). "Ridderslag voor Apache-vlieger Roy de Ruiter - Nieuwsbericht - Defensie.nl". www.defensie.nl. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
- ^ "NOS Uitreiking Militaire Willems-Orde gemist? Start met kijken op NPO Start". www.npostart.nl. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
- ^ "Korps Commandotroepen krijgt Militaire Willems-Orde voor inzet Afghanistan". NOS (in Dutch). 8 February 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
- ^ Defensie, Ministerie van (25 June 2018). "Militaire Willems-Orde". www.defensie.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 31 August 2018.
External links
Media related to Militaire Willems-Orde at Wikimedia Commons