Cross of Merit for sacrifice and loyalty to duty in times of war
The Cross of Merit for sacrifice and loyalty to duty in times of war was donated on June 12, 1871 by Grand Duke Nikolaus Friedrich Peter von Oldenburg .
In the foundation decree it said: During the duration of the war, now gloriously ended by God's gracious assistance, as in all of Germany, also in our country a unanimous spirit of self-denying devotion and willingness to sacrifice has been active in all circles of the population, which has contributed significantly to this to ensure the successes achieved by the valor and perseverance of the army, and to alleviate the suffering caused by its series of bloody battles, almost unprecedented in history. We have decided to commemorate those who did not follow the flag in enemy territory, but dedicated their service to the fatherland in their homeland, so that the memory of the time immediately behind us, which was forever memorable, would be permanently preserved the patriotic uprising of the last few months to establish a Cross of Merit, which We intend to award to persons who have earned the right to special recognition in our country for purposes caused by the war. This Cross of Merit should be awarded to men, women and virgins from all circles of the population without distinction.
The sign of the order has the shape of a so-called grave cross with a round medallion , in the middle of which the red Geneva cross can be seen within a raised oak wreath . On the upper arm of the cross there is a large Gothic P (Peter) under the grand ducal crown . The lower cross arm bears the year 18 70/71 .
The award was worn on a blue ribbon with two red longitudinal and narrow red stripes on the left side of the chest.
literature
- Friedhelm Beyreiß: The house order and the portable decorations of the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg 1813-1918 Militair-Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, Norderstedt 1997 ISBN 3-931533-31-X