Cross of the Red Cross Society of the Kingdom of Serbia
The Red Cross of Serbia was formed in 1876 and was the recognised by the International Committee of the Red Cross in the same year. The first Serbian Red Cross decoration was established in 1877, when Serbia was a Principality. After 1882, when Serbia became a Kingdom, the design of the cross was replaced with the type shown here, which was awarded throughout the First World War. The Cross was awarded to men and women, Serbian or foreign, for taking an active role in the nursing of the wounded in wartime. During peacetime, the ribbon was white, but when awarded during wartime, the ribbon was mainly white with red stripes near the edges. When the war broke out in 1914, Serbia and Austria, who produced many medal and order types for Serbia, broke relations, and Serbia then sourced production and supply of these Crosses from the firms of Arthus Bertrand, of France, and Huguenin Freres, of Switzerland. Also shown are the presentation case for the award and a couple of examples of miniatures for the same award. The award certificate shown here, as titled, comes in the name of King Peter I, and was awarded to French citizen, Marcelle Antoine Vignier, of the Paris suburb of Sannois. The certificate is dated May 1921, and it was not uncommon for people to be awarded certificates some years after the end of the war. A minor anomaly is that, at the top left of the certificate, it shows the design of the old-style Cross, which was only in use from 1877 through 1882, after which the new design, as shown here and used throughout the First Worlds War, was adopted.
A Cross of the Red Cross Society of the Kingdom of Serbia, where the red enameled cross has a heraldic, Serbian eagle on the front and '1876', the year of the foundation of the Serbian Rec Cross Society, on the reverse, with a crown above the cross. A presentation case for the Cross of the Red Cross Society of the Kingdom of Serbia award. Two miniatures of the Cross of the Red Cross Society of the Kingdom of Serbia. An award certificate for the Cross of the Red Cross Society of the Kingdom of Serbia given to a French citizen.
CONTRIBUTOR
Špiro Vranješ
DATE
-
LANGUAGE
eng
ITEMS
17
INSTITUTION
Europeana 1914-1918
PROGRESS
METADATA
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