Imperial Russia Photography + medal

[Hundtorget]

At first - english is not my language.

Secondly - i dont read russian and dont collect military awards.

I live at Gotland a pretty small island in Sweden. We have a small and simple countryside auctionhouse in my small village and there they sold the things from a man who had a russian mother recently. I bought the photoalbums who contained photos (many of militarys) and postcards (many from Sibiria) from russia. I also bought a small box with some small things and among them a ordinary soldiers cross and a regiment memory medal (?) stamped 56 and 84. This regiment is called F 8 and maybe it was situated in Viborg (betwen Helsinki and Petersburg) The man on the photo is in the same regiment. Does anyone know something about what type of regiment it was? If it had some name? Is it possible for someone to translate what is written on the photo?

I will later take a photo of the medal and send it here.

Thankyou for any answers.

[Hundtorget]

Excuse me - Regiment is called 8 F.

Here is the backside of the photo.

[Guest Rick Research]

This highly decorated officer wrote

"to dear Ivan

Matveevich Borisov in

friendly remembrance from

Viktor (Last name is too scribbly of me at this moment-- Shos...okovsky?)

18.6. 1908 Kazan"

so that is apparently where this regiment was stationed.

[Treloarth]

As far as I can make out, the decoration around his neck is the order of St Anne, and the first two visible on his chest are St Valdimir and then St Stanislas.

[Hundtorget]

Thankyou for the answers! Now i have photgraphed the medal. Is it some type of memory from the regiment? It is marked 56 and 84 and the "body" feels like gold.

[Hundtorget]

The other side.

[Treloarth]

A lovely medallion. The front is the same name advised to you "Ivan

Matveevich Borisov "

The back says Tovarich, the word the communists took over to mean "comrade" in a political sense, but which in those days simply meant "friend".

[sambolini]

Hi,

Thanks for posting this photo as it's not too often I've seen an Imperial Russian medal bar (either in a photo, in reality or last but not least, for sale).

Regards,

Sam

Edited December 14, 2007 by sambolini

[Kev in Deva]

Hallo Hundtorget

Welcome to the forum, great picture and item (is it a Regimental Jeton? as opposed to a medal?)

If you have any more military pictures from the album please post, as period items from this time are scarce to find.

In the picture if you look to the immediate left of the medal bar you can see a Jeton hanging by a chain from his top button

hole, maybe the same as this but turned inwards

Pity the rosette is obscured by the uniform jacket flap

Kevin in Deva.

Edited December 14, 2007 by Kev in Deva

[Djedj]

Bonjour Hundtorget,

Very nice group !

A few comments :

I agree with Kev, the medal is actually a "Jeton".

They were widely used during Imperial times as mementoes of events, postings, showing which military academy you came from, etc.

I don't know exactly what exact official character they carried, but they were widely worn in uniform ; see example from my photo collection here :

http://www.hussards-photos.com/Russie/Russ...DV_Discours.htm

As for your jeton, you'll notice that it bears the mark of a regiment (the "8F") and a mark of rank (the vertical stripes).

From what I understand, the rank would be that of a Colonel.

As for the regiment shown on both jeton and shoulder board, it is most likely the 8th Finland Rifle Regiment, stationned in Viborg in 1914 (belonging to the 2nd Finland Rifle Brigade).

See example of Rifle Regiment shoulder boards here :

http://www.xenophon-mil.org/rusarmy/shenk/shenk13hs.htm

So if I get it right, the man in the photograph likely was Colonel of the 8th Finland Rifle Regiment, who'd have given jetons to his old comrade-in-arms as a reminder of their war time service.

A wonderful group indeed !

Salutations,

Jerome

[Hundtorget]

Thank You all!

My conclusions after what you have written: It is a regimental jeton given to Ivan M. Borisov from the fellow officers in 8th Finland Rifle Regiment in Viborg where he served 1908 - 1913.

I have the rest of the photos in an other place. As i remember this photo was with the most decorated person. There are many more of militarys. IThere are not many later photos from russia but maybe some? I am wery interested in Ivan Borisovs later history. I will search for more photos to send.

[Hundtorget]

Here is an other photo from the collection. Private made and from later times. Some type of hospital. Could you read out something out of it? And what is written on the backside?

Edited December 19, 2007 by Hundtorget

[Hundtorget]

The backside!

[Hundtorget]

This may not be wery interesting but these two simple bbadges was the only thinngs besides the regiment jeton that i bought. Do you know anything about the soldiers cross? The other is an ordinary shooting badge i think.

In "Non communist north european countrys" i have asked a question about a regimentary jeton that may have belonged to the daughter of this russian officer.