Wilhelmina was Queen of the Netherlands from 1890 until her abdication in 1948. She reigned for nearly 58 years, longer than any other Dutch monarch. Her reign saw World War I, the Dutch economic crisis of 1933 and World War II.
Etienne Henri "Hans" Larive, MWO, DSC and bar, was a Dutch naval officer during World War II. He escaped from the prisoner of war camp Oflag IV-C at Colditz Castle in 1941, and spent the rest of the war in England serving aboard Motor Torpedo Boats. He later wrote his memoir Vannacht varen de Hollanders (1950), which was republished translated into English as The Man Who Came in From Colditz (1975) – a pun on the best-selling novel The Spy Who Came in from the Cold.
Despite Dutch neutrality, Nazi Germany invaded the Netherlands on 10 May 1940 as part of Fall Gelb. On 15 May 1940, one day after the bombing of Rotterdam, the Dutch forces surrendered. The Dutch government and the royal family relocated to London. Princess Juliana and her children sought refuge in Ottawa, Canada until after the war.
Raoul Albin Louis Salan was a French Army general. He served as the fourth French commanding general during the First Indochina War. He was one of four retired generals who organized the 1961 Algiers Putsch operation. He was the founder of the Organisation armée secrète and the most decorated soldier in the French Army at the end of his military career.
Bram van der Stok,, also known as Bob van der Stok, was a World War II fighter pilot and flying ace, and is the most decorated aviator in Dutch history.
Winston Churchill received numerous honours and awards throughout his career as a British Army officer, statesman and author.
In the Dutch honours system, most orders are the responsibility of ministers of the Netherlands Government. The house orders, however, are awarded at the discretion of the Dutch monarch alone.
Walther Nehring was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded the Afrika Korps.
General Simon Hendrik Spoor was the Chief of Staff of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army and the Royal Dutch Army in the Dutch East Indies, from 1946 to 1949, during the Indonesian National Revolution.
Johan Theodorus Furstner was a Dutch naval officer and politician. Reaching the rank of lieutenant admiral, he served as Minister of the Navy during World War II in the Second Gerbrandy cabinet.
Albert Eduard Stoové was a sergeant in the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force at the start of World War II. For several actions with the 2-VLG-V squadron under command of Captain Jacob Pieter van Helsdingen he received the Vliegerkruis on 24 February 1942.
Peter Tazelaar was a member of the Dutch resistance during World War II and worked as an agent for the SOE. Following the war he served in Dutch East Indies, before returning to Europe to work behind the Iron Curtain in Eastern Europe for the United States, which served as an inspiration for Ian Fleming's James Bond series.
The Resistance Memorial Cross or Resistance Commemorative Cross is a medal awarded in the Netherlands to members of the Dutch resistance during the Second World War.
The 1939–1945 Commemorative war medal is a commemorative medal of France established on 21 May 1946 to recognize individual participation in the Second World War.
The Expedition Cross officially known as the Cross for Important Military Operations was a military decoration of Kingdom of the Netherlands. Created by royal decree on 19 February 1869, by King William III, the cross was awarded for participation in major military operations between 1846 and 1942.
Major Kenneth George Mayhew was a British Army veteran of the Second World War. Mayhew was one of the recipients of the Military William Order, the highest honour of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Ida Laura Veldhuyzen van Zanten 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 woman to receive the Vliegerkruis, the Airman's Cross.
The Decoration for Order and Peace is a military award of the Netherlands. The medal was established on 12 December 1947 by royal decree of Queen Wilhelmina. The medal commemorates at least three months of service in the Dutch East Indies and adjacent waters during the Indonesian National Revolution. It was awarded to members of the Netherlands Armed Forces and the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army. Recipients who were engaged with hostile parties in a military context could be awarded clasps indicating the year of the action.
The New Guinea Commemorative Cross is a military award of the Netherlands. The New Guinea Commemorative Cross was instituted by Queen Juliana by Royal Decree on 29 September 1962. The medal was awarded to members of the Netherlands Armed Forces the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army, to recognize at least three months of service in Dutch New Guinea and adjacent waters between 28 December 1949 and 23 November 1962. Recipients who were engaged in hostile military action during the Indonesian campaign of infiltration were awarded a clasp with the year 1962.
The Commemorative Medal for Humanitarian Assistance in Disasters originally called the Disaster Brigade Commemorative Medal is a military medal of the Netherlands.
