Imperial Russia St. George Cross

[Noor]

Hi,

Here is my new arrival from Scandinavia. All toughts would be great to hear.

- Number range indicates WW1 start

- Nice sharp details

- Impossible to bend, etc

- weight 11.2 g

[Noor]

[Noor]

[Igor Ostapenko]

good cross 1915-1916 :beer:

Edited May 22, 2010 by Igor Ostapenko

[Claudius]

Nice scale. I should get one for the shows. Although I suspect (some) dealers wouldn't like it when you weight their inventory and be confronted with the scientific evidence.

[Noor]

Thanks Claudius, actually picked up this scale from market in China... 2 euros

Now the main part. Thank you to the other forum member Aleksei and his dedicated friend, I can put a name behind this award. Now, any extra information, help with the unit exact translation, etc would be great! Lost history is saved!!!!

Private (soldat) Vaskin Vasily Maximovich

Border Defence Gorshdinskaja ("hundred") company (First Border walking Gorzhdinskaya hundred???)

Western Army Group commander General Aleksei Evert degree № 1959 09.13.1915 (13?????? :roll: )

Private Maximovich earned his St.George 4th Class after got wounded in Memel (nowadays Klaipėda, Lithuania). He didn't got promoted and was sent to the Hospidal.

Edited May 25, 2010 by Noor

[paddywhack]

have to say that this cross is even nicer in real life!!!a lovely cross even better named!!!!! :beer:

Edited May 25, 2010 by paddywhack

[Claudius]

Thanks Claudius, actually picked up this scale from market in China... 2 euros

I wish i knew...i would have had you pick up two, hahahaha

Now the main part. Thank you to the other forum member Aleksei and his dedicated friend, I can put a name behind this award. Now, any extra information, help with the unit exact translation, etc would be great! Lost history is saved!!!!

Private (soldat) Vaskin Vasily Maximovich

Border Defence Gorshdinskaja ("hundred") company (First Border walking Gorzhdinskaya hundred???)

Western Army Group commander General Aleksei Evert degree № 1959 09.13.1915 (13?????? :roll: )

Private Maximovich earned his St.George 4th Class after got wounded in Memel (nowadays Klaipėda, Lithuania). He didn't got promoted and was sent to the Hospidal.

You can id them!

Can you id my 4th Class?

"223 342"

Thank you in advance.

[Noor]

Now, when I got original text, some corrections;

- St.George he got because he staid with his unit in the battle, after he got wounded

- Memel was the place, were he was in the hospidal

- Degree date 13th September 1915

- His unit was Cavary unit (Sotnja)

Here is original text:

233584

1-я пограничная пешая Горждинская сотня,рядовой .Васькин Василий.Максимович (П.№1959 от 13.09.15 Главкома Армии.Западного.фронта.генерала-от-инфантерии Эверта.

За то,что будучи ранен,остался в строю и был отправлен на перевязочный.пункт уже из г.Мемеля.)

[Noor]

Here is what I have now so far put together

Order of St. George Cross 4th Class

Order of St. George Cross (Cr St Geo), or simply the George's Cross, was, until 1913, officially known as the Sign of Distinction of the Military Order of St. George.

Established in the Russian Empire in 1807, it was granted to non-commissioned officers, soldiers and sailors for their military heroism. In 1856 it was split into four degrees. A person initially received the fourth degree, and would subsequently be promoted to higher degrees for further acts of bravery; one who received all four degrees was called “polniy Georgievskiy kavaler” (full Cavalier of St. George).

The Cross of St. George was an extension of the Order of St. George, and like it Cross of St. George was awarded in four classes and only for extreme bravery in face of the enemy.

Cross of St. George was practically same as Order of St. George, except that it was given to non-commissioned officers. But in 1878 Russia established St. George Medal. This medal was below the Cross of St. George in precedence and was granted for the acts of gallantry in battlefield which fell short of "the extreme bravery in face of the enemy".

The Cross of St. George was a cross pattée in plain gold or silver (later to be replaced with non-precious metals of similar colours), with a central disc bearing the image of St. George on horseback slaying the dragon. It was worn on the left chest with the ribbon of the Order of St. George, which was orange with three black stripes.

The Cross of St. George was abolished after the Russian Revolution 1917.

[Noor]

Private (Rjadovoi) Vaskin Vasily Maximovich

(ВАСЬКИН Василий Максимович)

St.George Cross 4th Class No. 233 584

Private Maximovich served in Gorzdinskaja Border Guard Infantry Brigade, 1st company (Commander Lieutenant Colonel Karpenko Pavel Antonovits), which belonged to 2. (Vilnius ) military district ( вое́нный о́круг ).

During the battle in 1915 private Maximovich was wounded but stayed in action until the end of the battle and was moved to a Hospital in Memel (nowadays Klaipėda, Lithuania ).

Because of this act, Western Army Group commander Infantry General Aleksei Evert awarded him the St.George Cross 4th Class. Degree № 1959 13th September 1915.

Original Text

233584

1-я пограничная пешая Горждинская сотня,рядовой .Васькин Василий. Максимович (П.№1959 от 13.09.15 Главкома Армии. Западного. фронта.генерала-от-инфантерии Эверта.

За то,что будучи ранен,остался в строю и был отправлен на перевязочный.пункт уже из г.Мемеля.)

[Noor]

Extras;

No. 1

Infantry General Aleksei Evert (1857 – 1918)

No. 2

Gorzdinskaja Border Guard Infantry Brigade structure (Russian)

1914 г.

Памятная книжка Ковенской губернии

5-я пограничная Горждинская бригада

Командир бригады - генерал-майор Карачун Григорий Иванович,

помощник командира бригады - полковник Россинский Николай Аркадьевич.

Командиры отделов:

1-й отдел - подполковник Карпенко Павел Антонович.

2-й отдел - подполковник Арандаренко Николай Иванович.

3-й отдел - подполковник Луканин Владимир Васильевич.

4-й отдел - подполковник Клюев Николай Николаевич.

Обер-офицеры для поручений при штабе бригады:

ротмистры: Силонов Валентин Александрович, Данович Владимир Арсеньевич.

Бригадный адъютант - штабс-ротмистр Кесслер Эдмунд Иванович.

Субалтерн-офицер 1-го отдела поручик Шабанов Николай Андреевич.

Командир учебного отряда - ротмистр Кащей Иван Осипович;

помощники его: старший - поручик Казамаров Владимир Алексеевич, младший - штабс-ротмистр Добровольский Евгений Васильевич.

Отрядные командиры:

подполковник Кружеников Владимир Павлович; ротмистры: Голынский Семен Степанович, фон-Котен Федор Фридрихович, Затеплинский Леонид Николаевич, Ребиндер Дмитрий Николаевич, Демянюк Михаил Гордеевич, Колесников Иван Михайлович, Иванов Николай Матвеевич; штабс-ротмистры: Кузнецов Григорий Иванович, Корроль Петр Александрович, Кригер Павел Оскарович, Гридин Яков Евгениевич.

Командующие отрядами:

штабс-ротмистр Бошняков Николай Николаевич, штабс-ротмистр Родзяновский Григорий Ефимович; корнет Никитин.

Медицинские врачи:

старший - коллежский советник Домбровский Иосиф Федорович, младший - надворный советник Савицкий Александр Львович.

Настоятель бригадной церкви - протоиерей Введенский Николай Александрович

Исполняющий дела заведующего оружием - чиновник запаса артиллерийского ведомства губернский секретарь Мельников Александр Павлович.

Источник: "Памятная книжка Ковенской губернии". Ковна, 1914 год.

(Список соответствует январю-февралю 1914 года)

[Noor]

Some things what I had been advised;

- Border Guard units wasn't under Military Districs - before the war they was under Ministry of Finance. I presume that when the war broke out, they went under Army control

- Russian was pushed away from Memel already 1914, so probably he got his Cross 1915 for battles what took place during 1914 (summer offencive?).

Also there is another option;

Here is map where the front was 1915

[Noor]

But there was one raid in March 1915, when Russian moved in to the Memel.

The Story of the Great War, Volume 5 By Allen L. Churchill

Edited May 27, 2010 by Noor

[Noor]

[Noor]

Any site or info, from where I can find pictures of this unit or branch insignia, sodiers, etc. Just like to move on and add some extras to my file.