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Why do so many white carnations bloom on De Savornin Lohman Square in June? Older generations know this flower primarily as Prince Bernhard's favorite. He always wore one in his buttonhole. However, the flower has greater historical significance. When the first royal birthday after the occupation was celebrated on June 29, 1940, people spontaneously took to the streets with white carnations and Dutch flags. The occupying forces immediately put an end to this "uprising. The following day, flags, Queen's Day and the national anthem were banned.

Since 2005, the white carnation has been the symbol of recognition and appreciation for Dutch veterans. That year, UNIFIL veterans wore a white carnation for the first time during the parade in Wageningen. Since 2000, a special Veterans Day has been held annually on the last Saturday of June. In 2019, the National Veterans Day Committee called on Dutch municipalities to honor their veterans with a flower bed. In the weeks leading up to Remembrance Day, white carnations bloom in abundance. The Hague also answered that call. On July 9, 2022, the White Carnation Flowerbed was officially inaugurated.

To further beautify the Hague flowerbed, Adrie Bruijs donated a sculpture to the municipality. As a doctor himself, he went on two missions. In addition to his practice as a general practitioner, he often made abstract sculptures in stone. His sculpture for the White Carnation Perk "[...] is based on the Veteran's Pin in the shape of a V. The sculpture expresses appreciation for the veteran in general, but in particular for the veteran who suffered a physical disability as a result of their deployment and those who are still struggling with mental suffering. That is what the break in the middle of the sculpture refers to," said Bruijs, who retired in 2021. In October 2023, his sculpture was placed among the carnations.