Tuomas

The cross was found 1938 by the frontmen of Vilppula and Mänttä to commemorative the 20th anniversary of the Vilppula battles. They order first 1500 crosses, but this was not enought. The cross was type 1 and 4, (is type 1 really bronze, not iron?). The next order of these iron made crosses was probably type 2. The crosses was awarded by the Mänttä homeguard. The office of Mänttä homeguard was destroyed by an air strike during the Winter War in January 1940. Part of the documents and all the stock of not yet awarded crosses was destroyed. The first crosses was made in Turku by company Suomen Kultasepät Oy (?). But about from the year 1942 new crosses was manufactured by Kunniamerkkitehdas Oy/Tillander in Helsinki. These crosses are type 4. Tillander has used few different lion models in these crosses. There are also type 5 (Tillander) which have different font in the reverse side numbers "1918".

The number of awards (in the book Tiainen: Suomen kunniamerkit) are not correct. According to Timo Liene: Suomen ortodoksisen kirkon palkitsemisjärjestelmä ja palkitsemisesineet 1925-1960 (Helsinki 1997), the order was awarded during the years 1936-1959: Grand cross 10 times, K I 29 times, K II 19 times, R I 36 times, R II 55 times, M I 74 times and M II 34 times. And these are only the first 24 years. The order is still in use and awarded every year.