The Cross for the Four Day Marches is a Dutch decoration awarded for successful participation in the International Four Days Marches Nijmegen held annually at Nijmegen, The Netherlands. The full title of the decoration is the Cross for Marching Proficiency. It is more commonly referred to as the Vierdaagse Cross or Vierdaagsekruis.
History
The cross was established in 1909 at the time of the first march, to award successful military participants of the Vierdaagse. Since 1910 it has been awarded to all participants who successfully complete all four days, both military and civilian. The Cross is awarded by the Royal Dutch Walking League who organise the Nijmegen Marches. Prior to 2015 the League was known as the Royal Dutch League for Physical Education and before 1959, when it received the Royal prefix, as the NBVLO. As well as the Vierdaagse at Nijmegen, the cross was also awarded to those who completed the four day marches organised in various locations in the Dutch East Indies between 1935 and 1939.
Although it is awarded by a non-governmental organisation, the Cross has received government approval and can be worn on the uniforms of the Armed forces of the Netherlands and other Dutch uniformed services, including the police, fire brigade and customs services. It is therefore an official decoration within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. This government recognition has extended over the years. Authority to wear in uniform was first granted in October 1909 to infantry soldiers below officer rank. Other soldiers could accept the decoration, but not wear it. As the March established itself, this authority widened with, for example, sailors of the Royal Netherlands Navy were granted permission to wear in 1919 and army and naval officers from 1928. A number of other nations currently permit the Vierdaagse cross to be worn in military uniform. These include: Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, and the USA. According to Army Regulation 600-8-22, Appendix E, the Cross is listed as "Holland Four Day Event Cross" as being authorised for wear in uniform. Countries that do not allow the medal to be worn include Canada, Ireland, Israel and the United Kingdom.
Design
The decoration is a five-armed cross, with each arm bearing an initial of the awarding organisation. It has a width of 36 mm at its widest point and is suspended from a green-and-yellow ribbon. Until 1958 the initials on the five arms read: ‘NBVLO’, with ‘KNBLO’ since 1959 to reflect the Koninklijke prefix. There have been other minor changes in design over the years. For example, in 1977 the previous silver gilt and silver crosses were replaced by base metal versions, with other design modifications in order to reduce costs. The reverse is plain except for the name of the manufacturer. All medals were made by Koninklijke Begeer of the South Holland town of Voorschoten until 1976, when the contract moved to W. van Veluw of Zeist, near Utrecht.
Award structure
Every year a walker successfully completes the march is marked either by a special cross, or a number to be attached to the ribbon of the last cross awarded. A cross is awarded in bronze for the first march, silver for the fifth and gold for the tenth, with a crown added above the cross for the year after each cross is awarded. Appropriate numbers are pinned on the ribbon for intervening years. In recent years further distinct crosses, with crown, have been added for a walker’s fortieth, fiftieth, sixtieth and seventieth successful march. To date the highest ribbon number awarded is 71 to Bert van der Lans, aged 86, in 2018. Annie Berkhout completed her 66th march in 2002 and is the female record holder. Only one cross, the last one awarded, is worn. For ribbon numbers, only the number most recently received should be worn.
Numbers awarded
Between 1909 and 2019, about 646,900 walkers successfully completed the march 1,694,823 times. Therefore, approximately 646,900 first year crosses have been awarded, with nearly 1,048,000 further awards, including second year crowns, silver and gold crosses and ribbon numbers. Of the awards for the highest number of marches, approximately 770 walkers have been awarded the cross for forty years, about 172 for fifty years and eleven for sixty years. The cross for seventy years has been awarded only twice, to Bert van der Lans in 2017 and to Dick Koopman in 2019.
