History

The Medal for Outstanding Bravery was established by Louis-Napoléon, King of Holland, in 1808 in order to reward Dutch Non-Commissioned Officers and enlisted men for acts of bravery performed in combat. The only other existing award of the time, the Order of the Reunion, was reserved exclusively for Officers.

The Medal was awarded in two grades according to the quality of the action that was being recognised. The Gold Medal was actually called the “Medal for Outstanding Bravery,” and the Silver Medal was called the “Medal of Bravery.”

The Gold Medal was awarded to Sergeant Major R.J. Puraye, Sergeant J. Jong, Grenadier D. Moesel, Grenadier C. Landman, and Adjutant J. Frederiks.

The obverse and reverse inscriptions are in Dutch and are unique to each recipient.