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Royal Dutch Life-saving Society

Koninklijke Nederlandsche Redding Maatschappij (KNRM)

Last modified: 2023-10-07 by rob raeside
Keywords: knrm |
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[KNRM pennant] image by Jarig Bakker, 21 May 2007

See also:

KNRM pennant

Here is a link to stickers showing the flag-related emblems of three Dutch life-saving societies (KNRM with orange crown, here): The middle one (KNZHRM) is shown flying on a boat, see photo on the same page.  Surely the horse shoe-like object is a life preserver.
There is a KNRM pennant as advertised on Geman eBay: blue with white orange bordered chevron pointing to – and touching - the hoist, white royal crown (stylized) in upper hoist corner, white initials KNRM (no serifs) in fly. Offered as item no. 170069502466 by “tanzschuhmeister”, end 21 Jan. 2007.
Dimensions are given as 35 x 50 cm.
Jan Mertens, 20 May 2007

The KNRM pennant is a real pennant; not merely a sticker as described above. The other bits of descriptions refer to images that no longer are there. There may be information elsewhere, though.

Currently, there is a pennant. It looks like they are year pennants, showing the year in which the owner contributed, but I asked them to be more certain. There are honorary versions of the year pennants, being a "gold pennant", "silver", and "bronze." The representative pennant is the "KNRM - newer version".

The old version is indeed that: The old version of the KNRM flag.
https://henk-en-willem.webnode.nl/knrm shows it's not the flag of one of the constituent parts.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 8 September 2023


KNRM old version

[KNRM old version] image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 20 May 2007

Royal Dutch Life Saving Society / Koninklijke Nederlandsche Redding Maatschappij (KNRM)

On 11 November 1824 Noord en Zuid Hollandsche Redding Maatschappij (NZHRM) was established in Amsterdam.
On 20 November 1824 Zuid Hollandsche Maatschappij tot Redding van Schipbreukelingen (ZHMRS) was established in Rotterdam.
26 December 1824 first rescue using a rowing boat; five people had been saved.
In 1865 first retreatment room for shipwrecked was established in Terschelling.
In 1885 a baywatch system based on watchtowers was established.
In 1949 both organizations gained the title "Koninklijke" (=Royal).
In 1951 the search and rescue service of Dutch Navy was established.
In 1953 the last rowing boat was replaced by a motorboat.
In 1974 both organizations are celebrating there 150-anniversary together.
On 22 May 1991 the KNZHRM and the KZHMRS merge, forming the KNRM. As usual the date of establishment 11 November 1824 was kept.
In 1999 the KNRM celebrates its 175-anniversary.
For further information: See Society's website.

Description of flag: Old version: It's a blue flag divided by an orange cotized white saltire. In the centre of the flag is a blue crown.
Source: this one or similar spotted on 26 November 2006 at Modellbauwelt Hamburg on a donation box. This image is based on a photo of Arie van Dijk (KNRM).
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 20 May 2007

In reality this gives the history of the life-saving societies. Separate the history out from the part about the first KNRM flag. That history tells us the typical rivalry in Holland, between Amsterdam and Rotterdam. The 4th of March 1824, the National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck was set up in the United Kingdom.

This was an excellent idea, and when 14 October 1824 a storm caused havoc among the Dutch ships, already on the 11th of November, Amsterdam set up a life-saving society. Yet even though they said explicitly that is was intended for the entire Holland coast - Noord en Zuid Hollandsche Redding Maatschappij (Northern and Southern Hollandic Life-Saving Association) - Rotterdam within 10 days set up their own Life-Saving Association, the Zuid Hollandsche Maatschappij tot Redding van Schipbreukelingen (South Hollandic Society for the Saving of the Shipwrecked). OK, they did have some justification: There were no life-saving societies in all of Flanders, thus they were the southern-most such a society in all of The Netherlands, until Belgium became independent.

In this way, we get to the Noord- en Zuid-Hollandsche Redding-Maatschappij (Northern and Southern Holland Life-Saving Society) [Though I would go for "Hollandic"]:
Apparently before 1924, there was a version of the flag bearing the lettering "N. & Z. H. R. M.". The colour might be a tricolour of green over white. Curiously, those would be the Rotterdam colours on a Amsterdam Society. https://www.knrm.nl/tijdlijn-historie/1910
On the other hand, maybe our source is mistaken? The KNRM uses the image to illustrate Prince Henry becoming the Patron of the Life-Saving Societies, but whether the date is accurate, I don't know.

The next one is the 1924-1949 version:
This one was created for its first centennial, but nearly 100 years later, I do not know the painter. But then again, I don't live in Holland.

Post 1949:
We write that in 1949, the societies became Royal, which added a crown to the image.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 8 September 2023


KNRM - newer version

[KNRM newer version] image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 20 May 2007

Newer version: It's a white flag with the orange logo and black capital letters "KNRM" at the bottom edge of flag. The logo to me seems to show a drowning person (head above two waves).
Source: spotted on 26 November 2006 at Modellbauwelt Hamburg.
The new flag might have been established after the merging in 1991, but I couldn't find out more details. I also do not know, whether the "old" flag is flag of the KNRM or of one of its predecessors.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 20 May 2007


Noord- en Zuid-Hollandsche Redding-Maatschappij
(Northern and Southern Holland Life-Saving Society)

1924-1949 version

[NZHRM flag] image by Željko Heimer, 29 August 2017

From Mattern (1987): Noord- en Zuid-Hollandsche Redding-Maatschappij (Northern and Southern Holland Life-Saving Society), est. November 1824, flag designed E. M. Eden (Matern claims he was a well known Dutch marine painter), in 1924 for the centenary. Matterns describes the flag as orange-white-blue, adding a golden crown above the life-buoy in 1949 (when the societies were granted the title Royal). It would be dificult to draw anything from the description and to guess colours from Mattern drawing, but luckily enough images of these flags are on-line, e.g. https://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/ODY2WDEwMjQ=/z/93gAAOSwAPVZMsOK/$_82.JPG. The buoy is in the horse-shoe shape.

1924-1949 version

[NZHRM flag] image by Željko Heimer, 29 August 2017

From Mattern (1987): The "first flag" is described by Mattern but not shown, as a green flag with letter "N.Z.& H.R.M" (sic! should be "N.& Z.H.R.M"?),
documented in 1914.

Zuid-Hollandsche Maatschappij tot Redding van Schipbreukelingen (Mattern: Southern Holland Society for Life-Saving Shipwrecked persons), est. also November 1824. Flag white, light blue cross fimbriated orange, black ZHRM in each canton, designed 1924 by A. J.M. Goudriana.
Željko Heimer, 29 August 2017

For the 1924-1949 flags, but now for the southern society:
The name we mention is probably A.J.M. Goudriaan, the shipowner.

After 1949, this flag also most like had a crown added. The shape and location seem obvious, but we lack details. That same GIFfer might speculate, though. But we do have some evidence. There's some room for
interpretation, but we have: https://www.marktplaats.nl/v/verzamelen/speldjes-pins-en-buttons/m1995839166-z-h-r-m-broche-emaille.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 8 September 2023