Order of William
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The Military Order of William is the oldest and highest honour of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Order's motto is Voor Moed, Beleid en Trouw (For Conspicuous Bravery, Leadership and Loyalty). The chivalry order was established in 1815 by King William I and was presented for feats of bravery on the battlefield and as a meritorious decoration to senior military officers. Comparable with the French Légion d’Honneur but far less awarded, the Order of William is a chivalry order of merit open to everyone regardless of rank and nobility, and not only to Netherlands military but also foreigners. To date the Order is extremely rarely awarded and only for bravery in battle.
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[edit] History
Most knighthoods of the Military Order of William have been awarded in 1815 and shortly afterwards to military of the Allies that fought Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo. For the Waterloo campaign over a thousand persons became a knight of the Order of William. The Grand Cross was awarded to Prince William of Orange, the Duke of Wellington, Fürst Blücher von Wahlstatt, Graf von Bülow-Dennewitz and Graf von Gneisenau.
During the 19th century the Order of William was awarded to military serving in the campaign against the Belgian Revolution and military serving in the Netherlands 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 Netherlands from the May 10 attack by Nazi-Germany. In 1944 and 1945, with the liberation of the Netherlands from German occupation, the Order of William was again awarded, this time to Netherlands citizens as well as members of the Allied Forces for deeds of gallantry. Since 1940, 199 names have been added to the register of the Military Order of William. The last conflict that was cause for the honour to be awarded was the Korean War. Of the 3,500 servicemen who served in the Netherlands United Nations Detachment in Korea, three servicemen -two posthumously- were admitted to the Order.
[edit] Grades
By 1945, the following classes of the Order of William were in existence.
- 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 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 US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the British King George VI and Queen Wilhelmina of The Netherlands were conferred such an honour. In the 19th. century the Grand Cross was often conferred on foreign monarchs as a mere mark of respect.
The 4th Class could also be awarded as a unit presentation to military commands which had displayed feats of gallantry during wartime.
[edit] Insignia
The badge of the Order is a white-enamelled Maltese Cross, in silver for the 4th Class and in gilt for higher classes; a green enamelled Burgundy Cross appears between the arms of the Maltese Cross. The obverse bears a golden tinderbox at the centre, and the motto Voor Moed - Beleid - Trouw (For Conspicuous Bravery - Leadership - Loyalty) on the arms of the Maltese Cross. The reverse central disc bears a crowned monogram "W" (for King William I) surrounded by a laurel wreath. The badge is topped by a crown.
The star of the 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 yellow with blue stripes near the border.
[edit] Unit Award
To be awarded the Order of William a military unit must distinguish itself in battle to such a degree as would warrant the personal presentation of the Order of William. The unit's Regimental Colour are decorated with the badge of the 4th Class itself, which hangs from the finial of the pike. The version of the Order of William for unit members is known as the Orange Lanyard. Only those who served in a military unit at the particular time of action are entitled to wear the Orange Lanyard.
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.
Six elements of the Netherlands armed forces were decorated as a consequence of their actions during the Second World War: the Naval Air Arm of the Royal Netherlands Navy; the Submarine Service of the Royal Netherlands Navy; the Marine Corps of the Royal Netherlands Navy; the Royal Netherlands 'Prinses Irene' Brigade, whose traditions are continued by the 'Prinses Irene' Fusilier Guards Regiment; the Military Air Arm in the Netherlands and the Military Air Arm of the Royal Netherlands Indies Army, whose traditions both are continued by the Royal Netherlands Air Force. Since 1972, the Military Order of William has been part of the colours of the 'Van Heutz' Regiment of the Royal Netherlands Army. This regiment continues the traditions of the Royal Netherlands Indies Army KNIL. Three KNIL units, namely the 7th Field Battalion, the 3rd Field Battalion and the Marechaussee Corps of Aceh and Dependencies were awarded the Order of William in 1849, 1877 and 1930 respectively.
Two foreign military units received the Order of William:
- The U.S. 82nd Airborne Division for gallantry at Nijmegen, during Operation Market Garden in 1944;
- The Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade for gallantry at Arnhem, during Operation Market Garden in 1944.
[edit] Bearers of the order of William
To date the number of Knights in the Military Order of William are less than 10 and all are over 75 years of age. The last ceremony the Knights met was on 31 May 2006 at the Binnenhof in The Hague when Her Majesty Queen Beatrix awarded the Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade with the Order. The traditions of the Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade are continued by the 6th Polish Air Assault Brigade.
