We must say that one can find large differences in shape, size, finish, weight, thickness and even pattern, among the several manufacturers that still produce them. This means that it is actually impossible to define a War Cross as a "fake". There are, obviously, good specimens and bad (Figures 47 and 48) that better interpret the designs as they were legislated and have better finishes.

Final Considerations

Since its creation the Portuguese War Cross has been one of that country’s most prestigious decorations and the only one to be awarded exclusively for valorous deeds in the face of the enemy. As a matter of fact, the Military Orders of the Tower and Sword, of Valor, Loyalty and Merit, can also be awarded for brave deeds as well as for outstanding services to Portugal, which doesn’t have to be performed in battle. The same is true for the Military Valor Medal and that is why it can be awarded with or without "palms," and the palms are the indication for its award for combat action (the same applies to Distinguished Service Medal).

From early legislation, Circular No. 5.166 October 13, 1917 (O.E. 14, 1917), it was established that the War Cross was created by decree No. 2.870 from November 30, 1916 and regulated by Decree No. 3.259 of July 26, 1917, which states that the War Cross would be awarded for acts of valor and deeds of arms performed in campaign. Further it states "that only acts and deeds performed in combat which demonstrate valor, courage, life and death decisions and other qualities that might contribute to distinguishing servicemen in the face of the enemy might be considered for this decoration." Current legislation, Decreto-Lei No. 316/2002 December 27, 1917, establishes that it is a "condition for the attribution of the War Cross that the deeds performed be in campaign facing the enemy and that one must demonstrate courage, decision, calm determination under fire, steadfast bravery and other qualities deserving distinction." The War Cross was always meant to be purely and exclusively a combat medal unlike other Portuguese decorations that can also be used for other purposes, not necessarily involving combat action facing the enemy.

Therefore we might consider that, apart from the Military Order of Tower and Sword - an order and not a medal - all the other medals should be of a lower rank in comparison with the War Cross. It is clear that legislation since 1919 indicates that the order of precedence of the War Cross comes after the Military Order of Tower and Sword, and even in the same period both the Military Medal and Distinguished Services Medal could assume

different places depending on the use of "C", for combat (corresponding of current "palms"), or regular attribution. Regulations unfortunately changed the order of precedence of the War Cross to third place, after the Military Valor Medal, no matter that the Military Valor Medal was not always awarded for combat reasons. In spite of many changes, the War Cross has not regained its previous position and that is a shame in our point of view (Figure 49).

Figure 49: The current four classes of the Portuguese War Cross.

Endnotes: 1. Our friend and colleague, Paulo Estrela, to whom we extend all our

gratitude for the support, help and critical review of this paper, is preparing a book (to be published in both Portuguese and English) on those early Portuguese medals.

2. The Regulation of Portuguese Military Medals was established by decree on October 2, 1863, by King Louis I.

3. On the occasion of a political revolution, Portugal became a republic on October 5, 1910 and the deposed king, Manuel II was sent to exile.

4. Corpo Expediciondrio Portugu~s (Portuguese Expeditionary Corps), was the name given to the troops mobilized by Portugal at a division level, integrated in to the British sector in the Flanders, from 1917 until the end of the War. Portugal mobilized two divisions

for a total of 55.000 men. 5. A reference book from Purves (1975: 69-70) says it was instituted

by Law 373 of 2 September 1915, but this law does not address medals and decorations. It’s a diploma granting supplementary capacity to the executive power to assure order. Likewise the also quoted March 1916 diploma doesn’t exist. There are several diplomas in that month regarding preparations for war but none regarding awards.

6. This is not the place to discuss the precise date of the constitution of Portugal as an independent State; therefore we will limit that interesting discussion to an approximate date located on the first half of the 12th century.

7. Although not used by other Templars in Europe, this cross, with

full mystical meanings, can be seen in an important number of con- temporary chapels, castles, churches, and gravestones as well as in written documents and is a common motif in Portuguese heraldry, both civil and military. For further information on the subject see Gandra (2000), Lougfio (1999) and Paraschi (1993 ).

8. This pattern was a stone monument with the Portuguese shield of arms and a cross on the top, used by Portuguese sailors to mark their arrival to new lands which they claimed for the Portuguese crown.

9. One of the greatest exhibitions ever held in Pol"mgal was in 1940 (June 23), in a Europe at war, it was meant to commemorate two

Vol. 59, No. 6 17

events: the foundation of the Portuguese State (1140) and the Regaining of Independence (1640), showing the prosperity of the regime as well in the several strands of history, economic activi- ties, cultme and religious aspects both from continental Portugal as well as its overseas territories, including the distant Timor. In a Portuguese world, Brazil was the only foreign country to be represented at the exhibition.

10. Casa Butmler (the Buttuler house) is one of the oldest remaining military shops in Lisbon. It was founded in the early 20th century, near the central square of Rossio in Lisbon., and for many years it became a reference for military outfits and decorations in the capi- tal. Of the five old military shops in Lisbon (Casa Oliveira, Casa

Camacho, Casa Soares and Sousa, Casa Buttuler and Casa A. da Costa), only Casa Buttuler and Casa A. da Costa remain.

11. FourragOre is a French military award, instituted by Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, intended to distinguish military units as a whole. It was adopted among other nations to include Portugal. In France thefourrag~re is awarded to all members of a military unit if, as a whole, when the unit was mentioned in dispatches for heroic deeds. In France it should not be confused with the awards of particular decorations to a certain unit, where the medal itself is hung on the flag of the unit (for example, in France there are many units wearing the fourragOre of the Mddaille Militaire, whereas only six units wore the medal itself on their flags). In Portugal the decoration of the flag determines the use of the fourragdre by the servicemen of that unit that took part of the events determining the decoration.

12. The Minho Brigade corresponds to the 4th Portuguese Brigade of the CEP which was constituted by effectives of four different regi-

ments of that northern region of Portugal, namely the 3rd Infantry Regiment (Viana do Castelo), the 8th Infantry Regiment (Braga), the 20th Infantry Regiment (GuimarSes) and 29th Infantry Regi- ment (Braga), this situation made impossible a clear inheritance of the brigade standard.

13. It was meant to be an organic unit of the CEP nevertheless it was never so constituted since its pilots were spread over several French and British units. The Air Force as an autonomous corps was only created in July 1, 1952.

IN MEMORY

James Charles Risk died on October 23, 2005 in New York City. He was born in Manhattan on May 5, 1913, the only son of Frederick and Katherine (Grasmuk) Risk, and spent his early childhood in Forest Hills, New York and Upper Montclair, New Jersey. He is survived by two cousins, Marian E. (Mrs. James) V. V. Goodrich of Livermore, Colorado and Karl J. Van Valkenburgh of West Granby, Connecticut, many second cousins, and a number of dear friends, among whom are John T. Dunlap, Esq., Jeffrey A. Ryan and Dr. Robert LaRocca of New York.

Mr. Risk graduated from Dartmouth College, cum laude, in 1937 with a BA in History, took graduate courses in European History at Harvard, and also taught History at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. When war clouds gathered, he enlisted in the active Naval Reserve and was commissioned as an Ensign. In January, 1940, he was assigned to active duty on the destroyer, USS Dahlgren, an experimental ship engaged in anti- submarine patrol off the east coast. Subsequently, he was reassigned to the USS Jeffers doing anti-submarine and convoy escort duty in the north Atlantic. In July 1943 he participated (aboard the Jeffers) in the invasion of Sicily. Eventually, he was transferred to the staff of the Commander, Destroyers, Atlantic Fleet at Casco Bay (Portland), Maine.

In mid-1945, he was ordered to report to Admiral Glassford, the second-in-command of the Atlantic Fleet at Palermo, Italy, for the purpose of writing the administrative history of the United States Navy in the Mediterranean. Later he was sent to Rome to serve on the Naval Subcommission of the Allied Commission on the Democratization of Italy. As Protocol Officer, he was the liaison with the Vatican as well as the Quirinal Palace. In connection with the latter services, the Lieutenant General of the Realm, later King Umberto II, granted him the title of Knight of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus, and Commander of the Order of the Crown of Italy. His life long association with the House of Savoy culminated in being awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus in 2001. He was the first American so honored since World War II. For services in regards to war relief he was created a Knight of Grace of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George and Commander of the Order of Merit of Malta with Swords.

James Charles Risk, CVO, FSA

He was discharged from the Navy with the rank of Lieutenant Commander, and then joined the United

(Continued on page 26)

18 JOMSA

THE MILITARY ORDER OF THE TOWER AND SWORD: 200 YEARS OLD

HUMBERTO NUNO DE OLIVEIRA

The Military Order of the Tower and Sword was created by Prince-Regent John (the future King John VI), in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, under the name Order of the Sword, by the Decree of May 13, 1808, two hundred years ago. The reason for its creation was to specifically announce the arrival of the royal family in Brazil, after the first French invasion of Portugal as ordered by Napoleon and commanded by Jean-Andoche Junot. In addition, the Order was to reward the old English allies, who had provided the necessary escort for the safety of the Prince Regent’s maritime voyage. Since they were of Anglican faith, the English could not receive any the old military- religious Orders of Christ, of Saint Benedict of Avis, or Saint James of the Sword.

The Order of the Sword had purely civil characteristics as it did not posses any religious connotations or ceremony. The Mesa da Consci~ncia e Ordens (Office of Conscience and Orders) required that the recipients had only to pledge "value and loyalty." The Order could be awarded regardless of the faith or the social background of the recipient.

AND PAULO JORGE ESTRELA

On the occasion of its foundation, the Order was linked to an historical heritage of the ancient Order of the Sword, which had been created in 1459 by King Alphonse V, "the African." That order was composed of 27 famous knights (the number 27 was chosen because it was the age of the king at the time of the order’s creation) who had taken part in the conquest of northern Africa. The name of the Order derived from an extremely well known and feared legend in the Maghreb. According to the legend there was a sword hidden in a tower of the town of Fez and the discovery and capture of this sword by a Christian prince would cause the fall of Moslem Africa.

The new Order was quickly regulated, its classes and insignia defined and the name of Order of the Tower and the Sword was adopted by the charter of law dated November 29, 1808, and amended on July 5, 1809 and April 23, 1810.

Figure 1: Obverse of the Order of the Tower

and Sword, Type 1.

Figure 2: Reverse of the Order of the Tower

and Sword, Type 1.

The first awards (Figures 1 and 2) were to famous servicemen, English statesmen who joined the court in Brazil and to many British officers who fought in the

Vol. 59, No. 6 19