NSB Five Years Service Badge.

This award comprises of a triangle measuring 18 mm by 21 mm and has the standard membership badge of the NSB at its centre.  In this case, the membership badge itself measures 14 mm by 15 mm.  The badge is halved by a thin line and a small shield with similar outline is positioned with its point at the bottom.  This shield is segmented by three equal horizontal lines and on to the centre is superimposed the rampant lion of the Netherlands.  The fields of the shield are filled with translucent orange enamel, opaque white enamel and opaque dark blue enamel.  In the points of the triangle are the metal capital letters, 'NSB'.  The halves of the shield are filled with opaque black and translucent red enamels.  The outer edge of the badge has a fine raised line and a recessed field with an inner border bounded by the enamelled membership badge.  The recessed field has at its upper tip a small, raised '5' and on its two sides eight sprigs of double oak leaves, placed tip on stalk, surmounted by a single leaf.  Across the bottom in raised capital letters, is the inscription, 'HOU EN TROU', which translates to, Honour and Loyalty or Steady and True.  The metal parts of the badge are fire gilded.

The reverse of the badge is flat with a circular plate, through which is placed the shank of a long needle pin.  It has also been suggested that the female form of the badge was mounted on a brooch bar.  However, the actual piece used for the description belonged to a female member of the party, Marrikia Del Baere.  A number is stamped into the badge and it is assumed that this is the number of the award as opposed to the Stamboek or membership number of the recipient.

This badge was issued for five years membership in the NSB and was known as the Vijfjarenteken, Five Year Badge, or the Hou En Trou Badge and was given to those who had held membership for the period of time and upheld the party's principles.

It is unusual to be able to give provenance to such badges but, in this case, the recipient gave me the badge and her details on a dated letter.  Marrikia Prins was born on 25 September 1896 in Hamburg.  She married Dr. Louis J. Del Baere and they lived in the Dutch East Indies.  They returned to Holland where they were concerned at the communist and anarchist threat.  They had joined the NSB in 1934 and were high ranking, active members, being personal friends of Marinus Rost van Tonningen.  In the war, Dr. Del Baere joined the Waffen-SS and saw service on the eastern front.  Incidentally, he persuaded his nephew, Johannes Nicolaas Munk who joined on 28 May 1942, to serve alongside him.  The recipient worked on NSB literature during the war, with the outcome that her husband was imprisoned for three years and she was imprisoned for one and a half years at the end of the war.