Archive for Netherlands

Burma Death Railway Spike

Posted in Odds & Ends with tags , , , , , , on November 18, 2017 by The Dude

Flag_of_ThailandFlag_of_Japan.svgFlag_of_AustraliaFlag_of_the_United_KingdomA couple of cool and evocative finds here from a contact in Thailand. These are Thai 1940 dated railway spikes from the ruined railway line that ran over 415 km from Thanbyuzayat in Burma to Ban Pong in Thailand. Many people know it only from it’s depiction in the movie “The Bridge on the River Kwai” where it crosses the Mae Klong river. I visited the site and Hellfire Pass in 2014 and I cannot believe the misery under which the slave laborers, both civilian and Allied POW, must have worked and died. A digger over there walked sections of the rail line that were never reused after the war and retrieved these spikes.

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Japanese Surrender Documents

Posted in Paper with tags , , , , , , , , , , on January 1, 2016 by The Dude

Flag_of_Japan.svgThis booklet, dating from 1946, is a facsimile of the surrender documents signed on the USS Missouri, in Tokyo Bay, on the 2nd September 1945. These were produced by the National Archives in the US for distribution to institutions and individuals in education. I have the German ones here.


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Memorial Cross for 1940-1945

Posted in 1939-1945 Service Medals with tags , , on October 8, 2015 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_NetherlandsCreated on March 31, 1950 by the Executive Committee of the Dutch Red Cross. It was awarded to volunteers and staff of the Dutch Red Cross in recognition for the Red Cross work performed during the occupation period (May 10, 1940 to May 5, 1945) and the period of insurrection in the the post war Dutch colonies. For the latter there was also established a bar with the inscription “INDONESIA 1945-1950”. Approval to carry the remembrance cross on the military uniform was followed by Army Order no. 137 of May 31, 1950.

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War Commemorative Cross 1945 with Oorlogsdienst-Koopvardij 1940-45 bar

Posted in 1939-1945 Service Medals with tags , on October 8, 2015 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_NetherlandsThis medal, from the Netherlands, was issued with a range of bars depending on the recipients theatre of service. I have quite a few of these now and I picked this one up because it had the Oorlogsdienst-Koopvardij bar which is the last of the standard bars that I didn’t have. This bar is for war services in the fishing fleet.

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The War Commemorative Cross with Oost-Azië/Zuid-Pacific 1942-1945 Bar, Oorlogsvluchten 1940-1945 Bar and Nederlandsch Indië 1941-1942 Bar

Posted in 1939-1945 Service Medals with tags , on August 24, 2015 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_NetherlandsThis medal, from the Netherlands, was issued with a range of bars depending on the recipients theatre of service. I have quite a few of these now and I picked this one up because it had the Oorlogsvluchten bar (War Flights).

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The War Commemorative Cross with Oost-Azië/Zuid-Pacific 1942-1945 Bar

Posted in 1939-1945 Service Medals with tags , on April 24, 2013 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_NetherlandsThis medal was issued with a number of bars. This one is with the Oost-Azië/Zuid-Pacific 1942-1945 bar.

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The Resistance Star, East Asia, 1942-45

Posted in 1939-1945 Service Medals with tags , on April 24, 2013 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_NetherlandsThis is a pretty cool looking medal and a pretty rare one. It is the East Asia Star, awarded for those involved in the resistance against the Japanese occupation in the Dutch East Indies from 1942 to 1945.

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The War Commemorative Cross with Oorlogsdienst Visserij 1940-1945 Bar

Posted in 1939-1945 Service Medals with tags , on April 24, 2013 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_NetherlandsThis medal was issued with a number of bars. This one is with the Oorlogsdienst Visserij 1940-1945 bar.

 

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The War Commemorative Cross with Krijg Te Land 1940-1945 Bar

Posted in 1939-1945 Service Medals with tags , on April 24, 2013 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_NetherlandsThis medal was issued with a number of bars. This one is with the Krijg Te Land 1940-1945 bar. Note the unusual mounting of this medal compared to my other examples below.

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The Air Defence Service Medal

Posted in 1939-1945 Service Medals with tags , on April 24, 2013 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_NetherlandsThis is a pretty little medal, created by the Dutch version of the ARP or RLB to reward good service in air raid protection between 1940 and 1945. One of my favourites, the image on the front is of a woman shielding children from overhead aircraft.

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The Mobilization War Cross

Posted in 1939-1945 Service Medals with tags , on April 24, 2013 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_NetherlandsThis is the Dutch Mobilization War Cross. It was awarded to all those who served during the mobilization of 1939-1940 but were not entitled to the War Commemorative Cross.

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New Guinea Commemorative Cross

Posted in 1945 + Medals with tags on April 24, 2013 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_NetherlandsThis medal was awarded by the Netherlands to those military personnell who served in the conflict of New Guinea in the period 1961-1962. The medal was awarded to military personel serving for at least three months in this confrontation with Indonesia. On the ribbon a clasp can be worn with the year 1962 on it. It indicates that bearer has been involved in actual combat in 1962.

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The War Commemorative Cross

Posted in 1939-1945 Service Medals with tags , on April 24, 2013 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_NetherlandsThis medal was issued with a number of bars. This one is without a bar.

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The War Commemorative Cross with Krijg Te Land 1940-1945 Bar & Normandië 1944 Bar

Posted in 1939-1945 Service Medals with tags , on April 24, 2013 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_NetherlandsThis medal was issued with a number of bars. This one is with the Krijg Te Land 1940-1945 bar & Normandië 1944 bar. It also has the ribbon bar with two stars indicating two bars awarded.

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The War Commemorative Cross with Krijg Ter Zee 1940-1945 Bar

Posted in 1939-1945 Service Medals with tags , on April 24, 2013 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_NetherlandsThis medal was issued with a number of bars. This one is with the Krijg Ter Zee 1940-1945 bar.

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The War Commemorative Cross with Nederland Mei 1940 Bar Number 2

Posted in 1939-1945 Service Medals with tags , on April 24, 2013 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_NetherlandsThis medal was issued with a number of bars. This one is with the Nederland Mei 1940 bar.

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The War Commemorative Cross with Oorlogsdienst Visserij 1940-1945 Bar, Middelandse Zee 1940-1945 Bar & Oost-Azië/Zuid-Pacific 1942-1945 Bar

Posted in 1939-1945 Service Medals with tags , on April 24, 2013 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_NetherlandsThis medal was issued with a number of bars. This one is with the Oorlogsdienst Visserij 1940-1945 bar, Middelandse Zee 1940-1945 bar & Oost-Azië/Zuid-Pacific 1942-1945 bar.

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The War Commemorative Cross with Arnhem-Nijmegen-Walcheren 1944 Bar

Posted in 1939-1945 Service Medals with tags , on April 24, 2013 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_NetherlandsThis medal was issued with a number of bars. This one is with the Arnhem-Nijmegen-Walcheren 1944 bar.

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The War Commemorative Cross with Nederland Mei 1940 Bar

Posted in 1939-1945 Service Medals with tags , on April 24, 2013 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_NetherlandsThis medal was issued with a number of bars. This one is with the Nederland Mei 1940 bar.

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The War Commemorative Cross with Nederlandsch Indië 1941-1942 Bar

Posted in 1939-1945 Service Medals with tags , , on April 24, 2013 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_NetherlandsThis medal was issued with a number of bars. This one is with the Nederlandsch Indië 1941-1942 bar.

KRIJG TER ZEE 1940-1945 (War at Sea)
OORLOGSVLUCHTEN 1940-1945 (War Flights)
OORLOGSDIENST KOOPVAARDIJ / 1940-1945 (War Service, Merchant Navy)
OORLOGSDIENST VISSERIJ / 1940-1945 (War Service, Fishery)
KRIJG TE LAND 1940-1945 (War on Land)
The special actions bars are :
NEDERLAND MEI 1940
NEDERLANDSCH INDIË / 1941-1942 (Dutch East-India, now Indonesia), also found as NEDERLANDS-INDIË / 1941-1942
JAVAZEE 1941-1942
NOORD AFRIKA – ITALIË 1941-1942, changed on 6 January 1948 to MIDDELANDSE ZEE / 1940-1945
ARNHEM – NIJMEGEN / WALCHEREN 1944
NORMANDIË 1944
OOST-AZIË – ZUID-PACIFIC / 1942-1945

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