Herr General

Bar of "van Rossum" in the collection of museum 't Schilderhuis

http://www.schilderhuis.nl/vanrossum.htm

I managed to get in contact with the veterans organisation of the 784th Tank Battalion. Maybe they have some info for me!

Some pictures I found online:

Fly over:

China and someone from a former communist country

Overview shot

The graves

A friend of mine, a Dutch veteran is introduced to the organizer of the ceremony. The Military Attache of the American Embassy. ( very nice fellow who just returned from Afghanistan )

Who can tell me what this person does? He wears a kind of castles as insignia.

Vice-admiraal ir. Michiel van Maanen (IGK) with a veteran from the 7 armoured divison

Mr. Schreuders, former commandant of the Royal Military School and chairman of the Korea Veterans. He wears the bravery awards "The Bronze Cross"

Military attache from China?

It was a very nice day. The ceremonie and Fly over was great. I spoke to a lot of Dutch and American veterans. I also spoke with the American Ambassador Mr. Arnell and his wife and a few Dutch officials.

That's a nice gesture. I also adopted a grave at Henri-Chapelle cemetery few months ago. It is the grave of a WWII US B17 gunner killed on december 25 1944... It is the less we can do for our american friends !

Thats right Bernard, did you do research on this gunner ?

Today I will visit these two graves to lay flowers together with some good friends who in the last two weeks also adopted graves. We will be there with some 7th armoured veterans. I will post pictures tonight!

No problem. Thomson received the following Orders:

Netherlands - Knight in the Military Order of William (1987)

Netherlands - Knight in the Order of the Dutch Lion (1913)

Netherlands - Knight in the Order of Oranje Nassau with the Swords (1903)

Netherlands - Silver Medal for donations to public collections (1912)

Netherlands - Cross for Important War actions with clasps

Netherlands - Officers long service Cross with the numeral

France - Officer in the Legion of Honour (1911)

Greece - Officer (?) in the Order of the Redeemer (Military observer during the Balkanwar)

Greece - Medal for the Greek -Turkisch war 1912-1913

Sweden - Knight in the Order of the Sword (1913)

Montenegro - Knight (?) in the Order of Danilo (Military observer during the Balkanwar)

Albania - Knight (?) in the Order of the Black Eagle (1914)

Albania - ''Komturklasse mit Stern'' in the Order of the Black Eagle (posthumous juni 1914)

honorary citizenship from the city of Durres in Albania (posthumous 2000)

Albania - Golden Eagle order (posthumous 28-3-2004)

I found this photo online. I can't find a larger image. I believe that it was during the reveiling of a new monument in 2004.

I have Dr. Kietmann's Ordens Lexicon II which details some of the Black Eagle awards. Incidentially, the first two men on your list received the Black Eagle, not Skanderbeg, in 1914. I have found additional awards not described in Klietmann including more to Dutch soldiers or police and possibly civilians. You may know Mr. Meyer who had a group with a Black Eagle knight and Wilhelm accession medal. I have photocopy illustration of that group and will find a way to send you a copy if you like.

I compiled this information from period newspapers, they are listed as "Skanderbeg Orders" in the artikels. But the newspapers where often wrong in those days. I would love to see that photocopy!

I was so excited to read your news I was not polite in responding to your questions! Finding a Mirinda was relatively easy at the 2006 OMSA meeting. You may know that the manufacturer, N.S. Meyer of New York, went out of business. Much of the old stock, especially Boliver and Mirinda Orders was on offer at the OMSA convention. I think a Mirinda officer would not be too much, maybe US $50-70. I could look for one for you at the Texas convention if you do not find one by August. The Golden Palm knight is much harder to find, in my experience. Liverpool had one once but they wanted a lot of money for it. However, the decorations were made in the Netherlands and I probably can find the maker's name for you. A Spanish Civil Merit knight, likely Juan Carlos type would be correct, you can buy directly from Celjavo in Madrid. The last time I was there, several years ago, the cost was about 130 euros. They might be cheaper on the collector market.

Thanks for this information. I am still waiting for the name of the Police Commissar who onces owned this bar. I want to make sure that I buy the right classes of the Orders. Any help finding the missing Orders is more then welcome!

Your other group is extremely impressive!! Do you suppose the man was serving before 1940? The Black Star of Benin looks like a pre-World War II manufactured piece. Thank you for showing this group! Will you be able to discover the person's name and position?

I think that this group dates between WW1 and WW2. I think that he was a Police Inspector. The Dutch Mobilisation Cross for WW1 was also awarded to Police. Siam and France visited Holland and I think he received them during these state visits. I haven't been able to identify him!

Thanks!

Here are some orders to members of the Peace mission:

Generaal-majoor Willem J.H .de Veer

Grandcross in the Order of Skanderbeg

6-8-1914

Prince William of Wied Accession Medal

7-3-1914

Majoor Henri J.L. Kroon

Commandeur in the Order of Skanderbeg

6-8-1914

majoor Lodewijk W.J.K. Thomson

Order of the Black Eagle

26-4-1914

Order of the Golden Eagle

28-4-2003

majoor Johan M. Sluys

Order of the Black Eagle

Prince William of Wied Accession Medal

7-3-1914

majoor Lucas Roelfsema

Knight 4th classe in the order of the Black Eagle

Here are the other members of the mission:

1ste luitenant Gerard A. Mallinckrodt

majoor Wouter de Waal

majoor Hugo J. Verhulst

majoor Joan E. Snellen van Vollenhoven

kapitein Carel de Iongh

kapitein Jetze Doorman

kapitein Jan Fabius

kapitein Julius H. Sonne

kapitein Hendrik G.A. Reimers

kapitein Jan H. Sar

Officier van gezondheid Tiddo Reddingius

sergeant-verpleger Jan van Vliet

Dr. F. de Groot

Other recipients of Albanian Orders:

J. Goldwurm

Officer in the Order of Skanderbeg

22-12-1937

The orders of Majoor Thomson during a ceremonie in 2004

Thanks. Have you seen any of these for sale recently?

Knight in the Order of the golden palm of Suriname

Officer in the Order of Francisco de Miranda of Venezuela

Knight in the Civil Merit Order of Spain

I still haven't received the name. I hope he can find this note. I have one other Police (most likely) unnamed medal group in my collection and that one isn?t court mounted but hanging from the ribbon. It consists of a Officer in the Order of Oranje Nassau, Mobilisation cross 1914-1918, Officer in the Crown order of Siam and Officer in the Order of the Black Star from Benin.

I know of a few Dutch persons that received medals from King Zog. I haven't seen groups from the Weid era. I will ask Erik Muller from www.onderscheidingen.nl to view this thread. I think he might have more information for you! Do you have pictures of those bars?

Thats also an option. But I think that the UK deserves a own part because the large number of Uk visitors?

Just received some exciting news. The seller of this bar emailed me, he suddenly remembered that he had a small note in his archive stating that this bar belonged to a Police Commissar from one of the larger cities in Holland! He also remembered that the last order is 100 % certain the Civil Merit Order of Spain. As soon as he finds the note he will email me the name and medallist.

The King of Spain visited Holland in 1980. The president of Venezuela in 1979.

Without wanting to offend our Belgium friends I wonder if it isn't better if there is a section for the Low Countries (Belgium, Netherlands etc) instead of a pure Belgium section. There are a lot of Dutch users and topics on this forum.

The Netherlands just doesn't seem right in this section:

Northern European & Baltic States: Non Communist Era

For all Militaria, Orders, Medals & Decorations relating to the follwoing European (Non Communist) States: Dennmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Republic of Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway & Sweden.

Thanks for your large and very informative reaction!

What puzzles me is the fact that the ribbons are mounted in the Prussian court style way introduced in the Netherlands by HRH Prince Hendrik von Mecklenburg-Schwerin. This way of mounting is used in the military and by court personnel. (civilians and diplomats wear there medals hanging from the ribbon)

Since there is no officers or NCO?s long service award in the group I lean towards court personnel. The Royal House Order could be a reward for long service.

But why two awards from Venezuela? Could he have received the lower award (knights grade) during the state visit and the higher (officers grade) during a counter visit? Or during a second stop in Venezuela during the state visit to Suriname and the islands? I am still looking for more details about the state visits from Queen Beatrix but I know that there where state visits during the time frame of this bar (1980).

I haven?t received the bar in the mail yet. I hope that it is mounted by the Dutch Medal firm van Wielik. The manager since 30 years is still the same and maybe she remembers this combination!

An other option for the last ribbon is Spain: Order of Civil Merit!

Thanks for your reaction! Great information. I think you are right about these last two orders. I'm trying to find more info about them now. I don't think that there was a officers rozette on the last ribbon.

What kind of period would you like to represent?

Hi Roeland, I think that this is a Royal Household group rather then a Military group. I think that everything after the Ascension medal is foreign.

Who can help me to fill in the blanks

1 Knight in the Order of the Dutch Lion

2 House order of Oranje Nassau - Grade could be knight 1st classe, knight 2nd classe, cross of merit or silver or bronze medal.

3 Ascension medal of her majesty Queen Beatrix - 1980

4 Order of the golden palm of Suriname

5 Officer in the Order of Francisco de Miranda of Venezuela

6 Knight in the Order of Andres Bello of Venezuela

I was told that Royal Navy medal index cards are not available yet!

Thanks Guys. It is just a small thing to do in return for the sacrifices these guys and there families made! Please don't forget that I am not the only one. Almost all of the more then 8000 graves have been adopted by Dutch persons. Just this week 400 new persons adopted a grave!

I just hope that I am able to find more info about these two persons!

I adopted two American wwII graves on the Dutch Margraten war cemetry. I plan on visiting these graves next week and to lay flowers.

I would like to find more info about these two persons. This is what I know:

John E. B. L. Tompkins

Rank Technician Fifth Class, U.S. Army

Service number # 33597026

Regiment 784th Tank Battalion

Entered the Service from Pennsylvania

County

Place of enlistment Philadelphia

Date of enlistment 30-03-1943

Term of enlistment Enlistment for the duration of the War or other

emergency, plus six months, subject to the

discretion of the President or otherwise according to law

Year of Birth 1923

Nativity Virginia

Race and Citizenship Negro citizen

Education Grammar school

Civilian occupation Tractor ? truck driver

Marital status Single, with dependents

Died 03-03-1945

Buried at Plot C Row 3 Grave 21

Netherlands American Cemetery

Margraten, Netherlands

Awards Purple Heart

Carl F. Danajovits

Rank Private First Class, U.S. Army

Service number # 42134462

Regiment 334th Infantry Regiment

Division 84th Infantry Division

Entered the Service from 23 New York

County Bronx

Place of enlistment CP Upton Yaphank

Date of enlistment 16-05-1944

Term of enlistment Enlistment for the duration of the War or other

emergency, plus six months, subject to the

discretion of the President or otherwise according to law

Year of Birth 1924

Nativity New York

Race and Citizenship White citizen

Education 2 years of high school

Civilian occupation Automobile Serviceman

Marital status Single, without dependents

Died 26-02-1945

Buried at Plot C Row 15 Grave 23

Netherlands American Cemetery

Margraten, Netherlands

Awards Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster

This man should be punished but he should also receive help. People with a mental illness often act like this.

Nice uniform, if you need a nice dutch medal to go on it. I might have some!

Very nice group of items,

Here's another one!

SET BESTAANDE UIT;

VERZETSHERDENKINGSKRUIS 1980,

NIEUW GUINEA KRUIS ZONDER GESP,

MOBILISATIE KRUIS 1939-1940,

KRUIS VOOR RECHT EN VRIJHEID MET GESP,

TROUWE DIENST ONDEROFFICIER 36 JAAR,

INHULDIGINGSMEDAILLE 1980,

VIERDAAGSE KRUIS,

ITALIAANDE MEDAILLE,

VN MEDAILLE KOREA OORLOG,

KOREAANSE MEDAILLE.