Medals of the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905. Medal for participation in the Russian-Japanese War. Version of the origin of the inscription

In memory of the Japanese War 1904-1905

A country Russia
Type Campaign Medal
Establishment date January 21, 1906
Awards 45,000 silver, 700,000 light bronze, 750,000 dark bronze medals were minted.
Status not awarded
Options Diameter 28 mm

Medal "In memory of the Japanese War 1904-1905"- an award of the Russian Empire for rewarding military personnel of the army and navy who participated in the Russo-Japanese War, as well as for rewarding medical workers and priests in the service, civilians who distinguished themselves in military operations. Established on January 21, 1906 by decree of Emperor Nicholas II. The medal had three versions, made of different metals: silver, bronze, dark bronze (copper).

History of the award

Emperor of the Russian Empire Nicholas II.

Medal "In memory of the Japanese War 1904-1905". Silver. A variant from the first part of the circulation of the St. Petersburg Mint, with an eyelet characteristic of early medals of the period of Nicholas II.

Medal "In memory of the Japanese War 1904-1905". Silver, a later version of the Mint coinage.

Medal "In memory of the Japanese War 1904-1905". Light bronze, Mint version.

Medal "In memory of the Japanese War 1904-1905". Dark bronze (copper), Mint version.

Medal "In memory of the Japanese War 1904-1905" on a block with a bow. Light bronze, private version, with a small eye, diameter 28 mm. Obverse.

Medal "In memory of the Japanese War 1904-1905" on a block with a bow. Light bronze, private version, with a small eye, diameter 28 mm. Reverse.

Medal "In memory of the Japanese War 1904-1905" on a block with a bow. Light bronze, private work option. Obverse.

Medal "In memory of the Japanese War of 1904-1905" on the block. Light bronze, state minted Obverse and reverse.

Medal "In memory of the Japanese War of 1904-1905" on the block. Light bronze, private work option. Obverse and reverse.

Insignia of the military order and medal “In memory of the Japanese War of 1904-1905” on the block. Obverse.

The decision to end the war with Japan was made by the Russian government at a time when Japan, which had achieved major successes in the land and sea theaters of war, found itself in a very difficult situation. The enormous strain on material and moral resources cost her dearly: the economy and finances were depleted, and discontent grew among large sections of the population. The Russians in Manchuria clearly saw that the morale of the Japanese troops was gradually weakening, and the number of prisoners began to increase.

At the same time, Russia’s military resources, even after the fall of Port Arthur and the Tsushima defeat, seemed colossal; equipment and troops were brought to the Far East, which could soon rush to the enemy. Many, and especially the officers, were looking forward to this moment in order to end the war victoriously and thus wash away the shame of previous defeats both from the army as a whole and from themselves personally; the conclusion of peace deprived them of this opportunity.

Under such circumstances, it is no wonder that a significant part of these officers considered the top military leadership to be the culprit of their disgrace, which turned out to be unable to lead the army to victory and defend its interests before the tsar and in the government. And in order to thank the sacrifice of the people, a reward was needed for all those who took part in the war. The decision to approve the new award was made by Emperor Nicholas II himself.

On December 12, 1905, the assistant to the Chief of the Military Campaign Chancellery, Prince V.N. Orlov, sent the following handwritten note from the Emperor to the Chancellor of the Orders for announcement to the Minister of War:

Even earlier, the Emperor approved the appearance of the medal. But among collectors and historians, the myth about the inscription on the reverse is still told.

Version of the origin of the inscription

There is a beautiful version of the origin of the inscription on the reverse of the medal; its most detailed presentation is in the book of memoirs of General A.A. Ignatieva. At that time, he was a captain, returning from Manchuria, looking at the medal given to him:

The medal was a poor copy of the World War II medal, bronze instead of silver; on the reverse side, it bore the inscription “May God exalt you in due time.” - "What time? When?" – I tried to ask my colleagues on the General Staff. - “Well, why are you finding fault with everything?” - only one answered me. Others, more knowledgeable, advised to keep quiet, telling “in secret” what helpful, unreasonable clerks could lead to. Peace with the Japanese had not yet been concluded, but the main headquarters had already drawn up a report to the “highest name” on the need to create a special medal for the participants in the Manchurian War. The king, apparently, hesitated and against the proposed inscription: “May the Lord exalt you,” he wrote in pencil in the margins of the paper: “Report in due time.” When it was necessary to transfer the inscription for minting, the words “in due time”, which accidentally fell just opposite the line with the text of the inscription, were added to it.

Book by A.A. Ignatieva is not the only one who sets out this version of the origin of the inscription on the medal in memory of the Russian-Japanese War, writer D.N. Semenovsky cites it in his memoirs from the words of A.M. Gorky.

This version became generally accepted, and no one doubted it or tried to verify it. But there are documents that dispel this legend.

In the funds of the Russian State Military Historical Archive, the famous researcher V.A. Durov discovered a draft medal with notes from Nicholas II himself:

The drawing proposed for consideration depicted two versions of the front side and five versions of the reverse side of the designed medal. The Emperor placed a cross next to one of the options on the front side (the radiant all-seeing eye, below the date “1904-1905”), which, having thus been approved, was transferred to the metal sample. The tsar crossed out the drawing paired with the front side of the reverse side of the medal with the same pencil, and in the upper part of the sheet he wrote: “May God exalt you in due time,” which became the text of the medal.

The images of the front and back sides are connected by thin lines, which allows us to judge which versions of the medal were proposed for approval:

1) obverse: image of the All-Seeing Eye, below the date circumference; reverse: inscription “In you, Lord, we trust, let us not be ashamed forever”;

2) and 3) obverse: the same image; reverse: variants of replicas of a verse from the Epistle of St. Peter;

4) obverse: image of the All-Seeing Eye; reverse: the inscription “In you, Lord, we trust, may we not be ashamed forever”, below are the dates;

5) obverse: the same image; reverse: inscription “Thy will be done” and dates under the separator.

The reasons why the 1st, 4th and 5th options were rejected are clear: the first two were a mechanical hybrid of medals in memory of the Patriotic War of 1812 and in memory of the war of 1853-1856, and the latter was so powerless a pessimistic inscription that she was hardly suitable for a medal intended for mass distribution.

The appearance of the inscription “May God exalt you in due time” on the medal was not the result of an accident. This inscription is taken from the “First Cathedral Epistle of the Holy Apostle Peter,” where it is said: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the strong hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.” On the medal there is a replica of the second part of this phrase - the wish for the recipients to be rewarded after death (each in due time!) with the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Emperor knew this fragment of Holy Scripture, and the story told by A.A. Ignatiev has no basis. But still, this legend continues to be used in articles where this medal is described and its supporters cite the main argument - medals with the inscription “May the Lord exalt you” that exist in reality, and are made in all the prescribed metals. Below are images of some of these medals, but all of them bear clear signs of private production.

Most likely, these medals, with the wrong legend, were made by private companies for collectors.

Introduction of a bow to the medal

Another initiative of the Emperor regarding the awarding of participants in the Russo-Japanese War was the introduction of a bow to the medal in memory of this war. On February 7, 1906, a discussion of this issue was assigned to the General Staff, which initially proposed granting the right to wear a bow

It is not clear what motivated the officials of the General Staff when they proposed dividing the garrison of the blocked fortress on a purely formal basis. Such a proposal may perhaps not best characterize the degree of their awareness of the real combat life of the troops.

The Chapter of Orders, the conclusion of which the General Staff requested on February 13, 1906, in its relation on February 14, firstly, quite rightly drew the attention of the addressee to the fact that

shell shocks often received in battle, in their consequences, entail more severe suffering than a slight wound, therefore, the inclusion of all shell-shocked people in the same category with the wounded would seem quite desirable, and, secondly, he proposed the right to wear a bow except for the ranks of the Port Arthur garrison to be extended to some military units from the Manchurian Army, which particularly distinguished themselves in the bloody battles of this theater of military operations (Turenchen, Liaoyang, Shahe, Putilov Hill, etc.). Often such units, during stubborn multi-day defense of positions and attacks on enemy positions, lost over 1/2, 2/3 or more of their strength.

It is impossible to understand from the document whether the last proposal of the Chapter was a consequence of the ignorance of its officials about the existence of collective military awards or an attempt to introduce individual external distinctions for ranks who were in military units at a time when these units showed military valor, but it did not receive further development.

In a letter sent on February 17, 1906 to the Main Naval Headquarters, the conclusion of which on this issue was also required for the preparation of a report to the Emperor, the Main Headquarters, although it cited the opinion of the Chapter of Orders, continued to insist on its point of view:

In some cases, of course, the seriousness of shell shock cannot be denied, but nevertheless, there are no sufficient grounds to agree to the blanket equation of the shell-shocked with the wounded, and special insignia are established by law for awarding entire units of troops that showed exemplary courage and bravery during the war , like St. George’s banners and standards, St. George’s silver trumpets and horns, “campaigns” for military distinction, badges on headdresses and others, and therefore the General Staff, in order to single out those who undoubtedly suffered from the total mass of participants in the past campaign, considers it more correct and quite fair to grant the right to wear the above-mentioned bow ONLY TO PERSONS WOUNDED IN BATTLES WITH THE JAPANESE.

There is no doubt that the report of the Minister of War reflected primarily the point of view of the General Staff, but the Emperor also took into account the opinion of the Chapter of Orders. Therefore, by the Highest Order on March 1, 1906, the right to wear a bow with medals in memory of the Russian-Japanese War from the ribbon assigned to these medals was granted

Number of awards issued

In total, the St. Petersburg Mint minted 45,000 silver, 700,000 light bronze, 750,000 dark bronze (copper) medals. The number of non-state minted medals produced is unknown.

Statute of the award

Reasons for awarding

I. The Silver Medal is awarded to the following persons who were permanently or temporarily in Port Arthur and its fortified area in the period after the Battle of Jin-Zhou (May 12, 1904) until the end of the siege (December 20, 1904):

1). To all ranks of the military and naval departments, border guards and Kwantung volunteer squads.

2). Officials of other departments, if they were in Port Arthur during the siege, on duty.

3). Priests, doctors and other medical officials, orderlies and nurses who served in the military and naval departments, in the Red Cross society and in other medical institutions who provided assistance to sick and wounded soldiers, and

4). To the residents of Port Arthur who participated in the defense of this city.

II. The Light Bronze Medal is awarded to the following categories of persons if they participated during 1904-1905 in one or more battles against the Japanese on land or sea:

1). Generals, officers and lower ranks of the military and naval departments, as well as ranks of the State Militia, Border Guards and volunteers who were in the troops and special squads.

2). All class and medical ranks in general, priests, orderlies and sisters of mercy, as well as persons not belonging to a military rank, if during the battle they performed official duties with military units and detachments, as well as on ships of the fleet that took part in it.

3). Persons of all classes who have been awarded the insignia of the Military Order or a medal with the inscription “for bravery”.

III. The dark bronze medal is awarded to everyone who did not take part in battles, but served in the active armies and in the institutions attached to them, as well as in units, directorates and institutions of the military and naval departments located during the war - in the period from January 26 1904 to December 1, 1905, i.e. on the day of ratification of the peace treaty, in the Far East and along the Siberian and Samara-Zlatoust railways, in areas declared under martial law, namely:

1). All ranks in general: military, naval, border guards and militia.

2). Priests, doctors and other medical officials, orderlies and nurses who served in the military or naval departments, in the border guards, the Red Cross Society and in all medical institutions that provided assistance to the sick and wounded in the area of ​​military operations; persons not belonging to a military rank, if these persons were on duty in the military and medical institutions.

3). Various ranks of the military, naval and civil departments, as well as female persons who were assigned to different Directorates and institutions for service purposes, as well as those sent to their locations.

4). Free for hired servants from retired and reserve lower ranks and those from civilians who do not belong to a military rank, who were with the troops that directly acted against the enemy, who provided military distinction, and in general to persons of all classes who provided any special services during the war with Japan merits, for the honoring of these persons by the command of those troops and institutions under which they were at that time

<...>are not eligible to receive<...>medals:

A). those under trial or investigation, if, at the end of the cases being carried out about them, they will be subject to exclusion from the military or naval departments, and

b). contracted sutlers and civilian people who were with the troops, with the exception of those named in paragraph 4.

Wearing order

The medal should be worn on the chest. The medal had an eyelet for attaching to a block or ribbon. The ribbon of the medal is the connected Alexander-Georgievskaya.

Place in the hierarchy of awards

In the hierarchy of awards of the Russian Empire, the medal “In Memory of the Japanese War of 1904-1905” was one of the memorable awards for military campaigns. The medal should have been worn on the block after all military awards, and among commemorative awards, after the medal “For the campaign in China” and before the medal “In memory of the campaign of the squadron of Admiral Rozhdestvensky.”

Description of the award

Medal “In memory of the Japanese War of 1904-1905” made of three metals: silver, bronze, dark bronze (copper). Obverse and reverse and ribbon for the medal.

Appearance

The medal is made of one of three metals: silver, bronze, dark bronze (copper). The diameter of state minted medals is 28 mm.

Obverse. The front side of the medal depicts the All-Seeing Eye surrounded by rays. At the bottom, along the side, there is an inscription: “1904-1905.”

Reverse. On the reverse side there is a horizontal inscription in Slavic font in five lines with a quotation from the New Testament:

ASCEND

YOU LORD

Medal ribbon connected Aleksandrovsko-Georgievskaya.

Privately produced medals

Mint-produced medals are sculpted with rays of radiance emanating from one center, a dot after the date, and a close-fitting eyelet. The image on the “private” medals is formed by lines, the rays of radiance do not have a common center, there is no dot after the date, and the eye is connected to the circle by a small bridge. Additional signs of private fabrication are the smaller thickness of the circle (about 2.0 mm), as well as the hallmark and nameplate on the ear of the silver medal. Of course, medals made by different companies differ in details.

Miniature copy

There are miniature, so-called “tails” copies of the medal “In memory of the Japanese War of 1904-1905”. All of them were made by private workshops. Here are some of them.

Bow for the award

From March 1, 1906, those wounded or shell-shocked in the battles of the Russian-Japanese War, according to the decree of Nicholas II, received the right to wear medals on a ribbon with an additional bow of the same color. During the Russo-Japanese War, about 158,600 people were wounded or shell-shocked in battle.

The medal is mentioned more often than others in various publications. This is not due to its rarity (although it is not a very frequent character at auctions) or any outstanding artistic qualities, but to the history of the appearance on the medal of a very extraordinary inscription “May the Lord exalt you in due time.”

At first glance, the inscription is really strange. The most famous version of its appearance is described in the book of captain (later general) Alexei Ignatiev, a participant in those events, in his book “Fifty Years in Service.” “... - Why don’t you wear medals for the Japanese war?

The boss asked me. The medal was a poor copy of the World War II medal, bronze instead of silver; on the reverse side there was an inscription: “May the Lord exalt you in due time.”

What time? When? - I tried to ask my colleagues on the General Staff. - Well, why are you finding fault with everything? - some answered me. Others, more knowledgeable, advised to keep quiet, telling in confidence what the helpful, unreasonable clerks could lead to. Peace with the Japanese had not yet been concluded, but the main headquarters had already drawn up a report to the “highest name” on the need to create a special medal for the participants in the Manchurian War. The king, apparently, hesitated and, against the proposed inscription “May the Lord exalt you,” wrote in pencil in the margins of the paper: “Report in due time.” When it was necessary to transfer the inscription for minting, the words “in due time”, which coincidentally fell just opposite the line with the text of the inscription, were added to it.”

Alexey Ignatiev’s book is not the only one that presents this version of the origin of the inscription on the medal. It was so widespread and so firmly entrenched in the minds of contemporaries that the famous expert on Russian medals, Colonel Grigorovich, confirmed its authenticity.

However, in the funds of the Russian State Military Historical Archive, a clue to the history of the strange inscription was discovered. As it turned out, the draft of the future medal proposed for consideration by the emperor depicted two versions of the front side and five versions of the back. The Emperor placed a mark in pencil next to one of the options on the front side (radiant all-seeing eye, below the date 1904-1905). The tsar crossed out the drawing of the reverse side of the medal paired with the front side with the same pencil, and in the upper part of the sheet he wrote: “May the Lord exalt you in due time,” which became the text of the medal.”

As for the source of this expression, it is not the emperor’s know-how, but a phrase from the “First Council Epistle of the Holy Apostle Peter.” It says, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.” For the inscription on the medal, a replica of the second part of this phrase is used - the wish for the recipients to be rewarded after death (to each in due time) with the Kingdom of Heaven. Apparently, the emperor knew the Holy Scriptures well, but the creators and disseminators of the legend did not know it...

Three categories of medals were established.

1. Silver (this is exactly what is presented at the auction) - for the defenders of the Kwantung Peninsula, and Port Arthur in particular. The same silver medal was issued to all ranks of various departments who were in besieged Port Arthur on duty, as well as medical workers, priests who were on duty, and even residents of Port Arthur who participated in its defense.
2. Light bronze - for all campaign participants who were in at least one battle.
3. Dark bronze - for all those who did not take part in the battles, but were in the Far East in the area of ​​​​military operations.

Then the copper medal was awarded to almost everyone who had some, at least indirect, connection to the Japanese campaign. The copper medal complained “... in general to persons of all classes who rendered any special merits during the war with Japan, as awarded to these persons by the command of the troops and institutions under which they were at that time.”

But a trial medal made of light bronze with a three-line inscription “May the Lord exalt you” took place. It is an extremely rare specimen, but still found in collectors' collections. The appearance of a silver medal, the most expensive, at an auction in Irkutsk is not a frequent occurrence, but it is not too surprising either. Quite a lot of participants in the defense of Port Arthur lived in the Siberian region; in some villages (such as Biliktuy) there were several people.

After the suppression of the Yihetuan uprising in 1901, the struggle for dominance in China between the imperialist powers resumed with renewed vigor. The main rivals in Korea and Manchuria were Japan and Russia. Behind them stood the major powers of the West, whose policy boiled down to the desire to push these two states into war and thereby weaken their further influence in the Far East, in order to then strengthen themselves in Northern China.

Japan had long yearned not only to take Korea and Manchuria under its influence, but also intended to further seize the Far East from Russia in order to become the undivided mistress of the Pacific Ocean. Her desire to oust Russia from Northern China was in the interests of England. On January 17, 1902, an agreement was concluded between them, according to which England pledged to support Japan in all respects and provide it with comprehensive assistance.

Russia, with the support of Germany and France, sought to strengthen itself on the Liaodong Peninsula in ice-free Port Arthur, make it the main base in the Far East, and pull up a railway there, a branch from which would be connected to Beijing.

The United States, in turn, under the guise of preserving the integrity of China, pushed its “Open Door” doctrine, advocating equal opportunities for all states to trade with China. They protested against Russia's monopolistic policy in its northern regions. Under diplomatic pressure from England, the USA and Japan, Russia was forced in the spring of 1902 to begin preparations for the withdrawal of its troops from Manchuria. Trying to maintain military forces there to protect the Chinese Eastern Railway, she at the same time sought from the Chinese government to deny access to Manchuria to foreigners. This demand caused protest from her opponents. Japan showed such an aggressive disposition that it began to threaten Russia with war. In this regard, the Russian command stopped evacuating its troops; moreover, Mukden and Yingkou, from which troops had already been withdrawn, were again occupied by the Russians. On July 30, 1903, the head of the Kwantung region, E.I. Alekseev (the illegitimate son of Alexander II), was appointed governor of the Far East. He was given broad powers of diplomatic relations on behalf of the king. Before the war, his headquarters was in Port Arthur, which at that time was still being strengthened.

Japan understood that Russia could only be ousted from China through armed force. Therefore, after concluding an alliance treaty with England, she launched extensive preparations for war. Japanese sailors trained in naval affairs in England, Japanese ships, built in English shipyards and equipped with American military equipment, plied the seas, gaining combat experience in constant exercises; The ground forces learned new German offensive tactics. Japanese spies, disguised as Chinese, penetrated into all areas where Russian troops were deployed. Often, Japanese general staff officers were sent to Port Arthur and other military garrisons as various civilian specialists. England, the USA and even Germany provided Japan with huge loans, which ultimately amounted to 410 million rubles and covered half of all its war expenses. By the beginning of the war, the Japanese army numbered 375 thousand people, had 1140 guns, while Russia in the Far East had only 122 thousand soldiers and 320 guns. The Japanese fleet consisted of 122 combat units against 66 Russians. American weapons on Japanese squadrons were superior to Russian ones in combat qualities. Russia was not ready for this war, but hoped that it would be “small and victorious.” And this mischief cost her dearly.

On January 27, 1904, Japan, without declaring war, attacked the Russian squadron stationed on the outer roadstead of Port Arthur. In the first days of hostilities, two Russian warships - the cruiser Varyag and the gunboat Koreets - found themselves far from their squadron, in the Korean port of Chemulpo. The Russians decisively rejected the ultimatum of the Japanese admiral, refused to surrender their ships to the enemy and entered into battle, an unequal battle with the Japanese squadron, which consisted of fourteen ships. The Japanese countered the two Russian ships with 181 powerful guns and 42 torpedo tubes, i.e., six times more than the Russians. Despite this, the enemy squadron suffered great damage, its ships received serious damage, and two cruisers even needed immediate dock repairs.

“Varyag” was also damaged. The cruiser received four holes, almost all the guns were broken, and half of the gun personnel were put out of action. This is how N. Rudnev, the son of the commander of the cruiser “Varyag” V.F. Rudnev, described this battle in his book about his father: “... The shells landed at the side, covered the deck with numerous fragments, causing severe injuries to people. During periods of special tension, at least two hundred shells of various calibers were sent towards the Varyag every minute. The sea was literally boiling with explosions, dozens of fountains rose, showering the deck with fragments and cascades of water.

One of the first large shells that hit the cruiser destroyed the bridge, causing a fire in the chart room, broke the fore shrouds, and disabled rangefinder post No. 1. Midshipman Nirod, who was determining the distance using the rangefinder, was torn to pieces. All that was left of him was his hand, identified by the ring on his finger. Sailors Vasily Maltsev, Vasily Oskin, and Gavriil Mironov were also killed. Other sailors at the rangefinder post were wounded. The next shell disabled six-inch gun No. 3, killed commander Grigory Postnov, and wounded the others...”

V.F. Rudnev, supported by the entire crew, decides to sink the cruiser so that it does not fall to the enemy. "Varyag" and "Koreets" enter the neutral port of Chemulpo, where ships of other countries are moored. The Japanese demand the immediate extradition of the Russian sailors as prisoners of war, but the English, French and Italian sailors, who witnessed the unprecedented battle, did not extradite the heroes; they transported all the surviving Russian sailors to their ships. The last to leave the Varyag was its wounded and shell-shocked commander. Going onto the boat, he kissed the handrails of the ladder, and the cruiser was flooded. There were still about 1,000 pounds of gunpowder left on the Koreyets. The exploded boat fell into pieces and they went under the water.

On May 19, the heroes of the battle of Chemulpo were given a solemn meeting in Odessa, where they arrived on the ship Malaya. While still at sea, the boat “Tamara” approached them, on which the port manager delivered the awards.

“...The meeting in Odessa was joyful and solemn. Right on the deck of the ship, the heroes of Chemulpo had St. George's crosses attached to their chests, the battery in Alexander Park saluted in their honor, ships in the roadstead and in the port raised colorful flags. The entire city was engulfed in festive rejoicing.

Sevastopol also solemnly received the sailors... On April 10, a special train of 30 officers and 600 sailors of the “Varyag” and “Koreyets” left Sevastopol for the capital... At all stations and stops, people were waiting for the passage of the train with the heroes of Chemulpo. Greetings and congratulations came from distant provinces and cities.

On April 16, the train arrived in St. Petersburg. On the platform of the Nikolaevsky station, the sailors were met by all the highest ranks of the fleet... There were also relatives of the sailors, representatives of the army, city duma, zemstvo and nobility, naval attaches... The festively decorated Nevsky Prospekt, along which the sailors marched solemnly, was crowded to capacity with city residents. ...Under the continuous thunder of orchestras and an enthusiastic ovation that did not subside for a minute, the sailors made their way to glory along Nevsky Prospect... The Tsar's review on Palace Square and a prayer service in the palace, lunch in the Nicholas Hall... a reception in the City Duma of gifts from the city - personalized silver watches to each sailor, performances and gala dinners followed each other. Each of the Varangians received the “highest souvenir” - a special “St. George” device, which he used at the Tsar’s dinner.”

During this celebration, all heroes of Chemulpo were awarded silver medals with a diameter of 30 mm on a special, unique ribbon of the “St. Andrew’s Flag” (with a white field and an oblique blue St. Andrew’s cross on it).

On the front side, in the middle, inside a wreath of two laurel branches tied with a ribbon at the bottom, there is a cross of St. St. George the Victorious on the order ribbon; Between the wreath and the side of the medal there is a circular inscription: “FOR THE BATTLE OF “VARYAG” AND “KOREAN” JAN 27. 1904 - CHEMULPO - ". The last dash sign closes the phrase with its beginning so that you can read it from the word “Chemulpo”.

For the first time in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the reverse side of the medal was minted according to the Peter the Great tradition - with the image of a naval battle. In the foreground of the composition are the cruiser "Varyag" and the gunboat "Koreets", going into battle towards the Japanese squadron, whose ships are visible on the right of the medal, above the horizon; at the top - in the clouds, right under the ear, there is a four-pointed cross as a symbol of the Christian faith.

The medal was established on July 10, 1904 and was awarded to all participants in the naval battle with the Japanese squadron of Uriu near Chemulpo. “Rudnev was awarded it upon his return from vacation,” as his son Rudnev N. wrote. “He joked sadly: “This is my last silver pill!”” He, like the entire officer crew of the crew, was awarded the Order of St. George of the 4th degree, although according to his status he was supposed to be the third. In addition, Rudnev was given the title of aide-de-camp, according to which he became a member of the royal retinue of Emperor Nicholas II and was obliged to carry out “...once or twice a month daily duty in the royal palace in the presence of the monarch.”

Once, during one of these duties, Emperor Nicholas II was visited by the Persian Shah while passing through and wished to see the “Russian patriotic hero” in person. When Rudnev was introduced to him, he expressed his favor to the hero and, unexpectedly for all the senior persons present, awarded him the Order of the Lion and the Sun, 2nd degree with a diamond star. “...This is a laxative pill for my ill-wishers,” Rudnev joked upon returning home. And soon after that meeting, the Japanese government expressed recognition to the commander of the Varyag by sending to Russia the honorary Japanese Order of the Rising Sun, which was awarded to Rudnev personally by the envoy of the Mikado. He never wore this badge of Japanese honors in “...a black lacquered box with the state emblem on the lid”, putting it somewhere far away so that it would not catch his eye and would not remind him of Uriu, Murakami and those dark days of the war.

After the treacherous attack on Russian ships in Port Arthur and Chemulpo, Japan began the unhindered transfer of its troops across the sea and their landing in Korea and on the Liaodong Peninsula in order to launch an offensive against the main forces of the Russian army in Manchuria and launch actions against Port Arthur. The waters of the Yellow Sea were constantly plowed by the Japanese squadron of Admiral Togo, looking for ways to destroy Russian ships, blocking their exit from the bay. In naval operations, Russia suffered one failure after another. In the end, the remaining ships were laid up in Port Arthur, their guns were removed and they were installed on coastal fortifications.

The heroic defense of Port Arthur, which was six times larger in scale than Sevastopol, ended in its surrender as a result of the criminal activities of the commandant of the fortress Stessel and the chief of defense Fock. The Battle of Tsushima completed everything.

The war was shamefully lost. However, “By the Highest Decree of January 21, 1906, addressed to the Minister of War (given), the Sovereign Emperor was pleased to establish a special medal in commemoration of the Royal gratitude to the troops who participated in the war with Japan of 1904–1905, to be worn on the chest on a ribbon composed of Alexander and Georgievskaya".

On the front side of the medal there is an “all-seeing eye” surrounded by radiance; below, along the side, the dates: “1904–1905”. On the reverse there is a five-line inscription in Slavic script: “YES THE LORD WILL ASCEND YOU IN HIS TIME.”

The medal was minted of the same type, but was divided into silver, light bronze and dark bronze (copper). Silver was intended, in fact, only for the defenders of the Kwantung Peninsula (at the southwestern tip of Liaodong, where Port Arthur was located). It was awarded to all persons who participated in the defense of the approaches to the fortress on the Jinzhou Isthmus and the defense of Port Arthur. The same silver medal was issued to all ranks of various departments who were in besieged Port Arthur on service duties; as well as medical workers, priests who served, and even residents of Port Arthur who participated in his defense.

The light bronze medal was received by all ranks of the military and naval departments, state militia and volunteers who had been in at least one battle against the Japanese on land or at sea.

Dark bronze (copper) medals were awarded to military ranks “who did not take part in battles, but served in the active armies and in the institutions attached to them... located during the war... on the day of ratification of the peace treaty in the Far East and along the Siberian and Samaro -Zlatoust Railways, in areas declared under martial law, namely:

1. Everyone in general: military, naval, border guards and militia.

2. Priests, doctors and other medical ranks... persons not belonging to a military rank, if these persons were on duty in the military and medical institutions.”

Further, many more points about awarding this medal are indicated. She complained “... in general to persons of all classes who rendered any special merits during the war with Japan, according to the honoring of these persons by the command of those troops and institutions under which they were at that time.” And on March 1, 1906, an additional “Highest Command” was issued, which stated that the right to “... wear a bow with medals in memory of the war with Japan of 1904–1905, from the ribbon assigned to these medals, was granted to all persons who received wounds and shell shock in battles with Japanese."

It has been told many times in periodicals about the curiosity in the inscription of this medal, but A. A. Ignatiev, a participant in the Russian-Japanese War, wrote about this most plausibly and convincingly in his book “50 Years in Service”:

“...- Why don’t you wear medals for the Japanese war? - the boss asked me. The medal was a poor copy of the World War II medal, bronze instead of silver; on the reverse side there was an inscription: “May the Lord exalt you in due time.”

What time? When? - I tried to ask my colleagues on the General Staff.

Well, why are you finding fault with everything? - some answered me. Others, more knowledgeable, advised to keep quiet, telling in secret what helpful, unreasonable clerks could lead to. Peace with the Japanese had not yet been concluded, but the main headquarters had already drawn up a report to the “highest name” on the need to create a special medal for the participants in the Manchurian War. The tsar, apparently, hesitated and against the proposed inscription: “May the Lord exalt you” - he wrote in pencil in the margins of the paper: “Report in due time.”

When it was necessary to transfer the inscription for minting, the words “In due time,” which coincidentally fell just opposite the line with the text of the inscription, were added to it.” (It should be noted, however, that the words “May the Lord exalt you in due time” are an exact quotation from the New Testament.)

But a trial medal made of light bronze with a three-line inscription: “YES THE LORD ASCENDS YOU” took place. It is rare, but found in collectors' collections.

It must be assumed that along with the “report” to the “highest name”, test samples of this medal were also presented to Emperor Nicholas II for clarity. How else?

Along with the official medal for the Russo-Japanese War, a large mass of all kinds of bronze and copper medals were issued. They differ from the state ones in the size of the “all-seeing eye” triangle, and its position on the field relative to the center, and the shape of the radiant radiance, and the font of the inscription on the reverse side, and even the number of lines in it. But the most popular among collectors is the medal with the full four-line (legalized) inscription: “YES - THE LORD WILL ASCEND YOU IN HIS - TIME.” The font is made in Old Church Slavonic script.

In addition to the combined arms medal, in memory of the Russian-Japanese War, a silver medal of the Red Cross was established, “The highest approved position”, which was announced by the Ministry of Justice on January 19, 1906. The “Regulations” state that “...The Red Cross Medal... was established for issue to persons of both sexes in memory of the participation that they took in the activities of the Russian Red Cross Society during the war against the Japanese in 1904 and 1905, which is under the Highest Patronage of Her Imperial Majesty the Sovereign Empress Maria Feodorovna (mother of Nicholas II)." Unfortunately, the regulations do not indicate the dimensions of this medal, but most often it is found with a diameter of 24 mm with a flat cross filled with red (ruby) enamel. On the reverse side, as indicated in the regulations, “... the inscriptions are placed: “RUSSIAN-JAPANESE” - in a semicircle at the top of the rim, “1904–1905” - in straight font in the middle and “WAR” - at the bottom of the rim.”

A medal like this with a diameter of 28 mm is very rare. There are two variants of it. In one, the cross is made flat - according to the principle of a medal with a diameter of 22 mm, and in the other - it is sharply curved and soldered to the field of the medal only with the tips of the wings, so that a gap is formed under it. There is also a similar medal of a reduced size - with a diameter of 21 mm.

The structure of the field at the base of the enamel on the medal cross is artistically processed in different ways. In 24 mm, as a rule, they are in the form of narrow dashed rays running from the center to the edges. The 28mm ones have small rectangles - “bricks”; for small ones, with a diameter of 21 mm, without preparation of the base - to match the ruby ​​enamel. All Red Cross medals have proof marks on the hanging lugs.

Red Cross medals were awarded to all persons who took part in the activities of the Russian Red Cross Society: members of all departments, committees and communities, “... persons who served in their Offices, managed warehouses and worked in them; authorized agents, agents... doctors, pharmacists, nurses, students... paramedics, orderlies, artel workers, infirmary servants, and at points of various types - dressing stations, reception centers, sanitary stations, nutritional and overnight shelters, as well as evacuation workers.” The same medals were awarded to “... persons who made more or less significant substantial donations of money and things, as well as those who contributed to the receipt of donations.”

The medal was worn “...on the Alexander ribbon on the left side of the chest, if desired, with any kind of clothing. With orders and other insignia, this medal (should be hung) to the left of those, directly following the medals awarded by the government.”

They were minted by “...order of the Main Directorate of the Russian Red Cross Society,” and when issuing it, “the procurement cost of it” was withheld from the recipients in favor of the Main Directorate of the Red Cross.

There were cases when sisters of mercy received several awards. For example, Sannikova, Maksimovich, Simanovskaya and Batanova withstood the siege of Port Arthur. In addition to the Red Cross medals and silver medals for the war, intended for the defenders of Port Arthur, they, when presented “...on July 7, H.I.H. (to her Imperial Majesty) Princess... of Oldenburg, at Her Highness’s dacha in Old Peterhof... (were) awarded silver medals, with the inscription “For bravery,” on St. George’s ribbons.”

These young women bore the burdens of war just like men. They were in the thick of war and very often exposed to unexpected vicissitudes of cruel fate.

After the end of the war, on September 26, 1906, bronze crosses were established “... of the State Militia of the Siberian Military District and squads formed due to military circumstances in the Far East...”.

Similar signs appeared under Emperor Alexander I and retained their traditional form until the Russo-Japanese War. Only their sizes were reduced and the motto was slightly changed - instead of “for the faith and the king” it became “FOR THE FAITH, THE TSAR, THE FATHERLAND.” The final design of the sign, measuring 43x43 mm, was formed under Alexander III, in 1890.

This award is a cross with widened ends, in the rosette of which the monogram of Emperor Nicholas II is depicted under the crown. At its ends, along the edging, along the entire perimeter, there are small beads and inscriptions: on the left - “FOR”, on the top - “FAITH”, on the right - “KING” and on the bottom in two lines - “FATHER - HONOR”.

Based on the “Rules” approved on September 26, 1906, he complained “... As a sign of memory of service in the State Militia of the Siberian Military District, as well as in the squads formed during the Russo-Japanese War due to military circumstances, he is presented to the generals, headquarters and chief officers and workers who served in the named militias and squads...” Based on the same “Highest” administrative circular, “... the right to wear the militia badge also applies to those exiled convicts who were part of the squads formed in the Far East, which During their service in the squads, they were listed as exiled peasants.” And paragraph “6” indicates that “...The militia badge is worn on the left side of the chest.”

During the Russo-Japanese War, many ships of private entrepreneurs were mobilized, on which naval militia participated in various military operations - reconnaissance, transfer of troops, and even in battles. A special sign was introduced for them. It is identical in shape to the land militia badge, but "oxidized anchors" have been added to the spaces between the ends of the cross.

Both militia badges had pins on the reverse side for attaching to clothing.

The defense of Port Arthur reached its highest point in September, and in the distant Baltic, Z.P. Rozhdestvensky’s squadron was just approaching the port of Libau (now Liepaja). On October 2, 1904, she, consisting of 7 battleships, 8 cruisers, 8 destroyers, 2 steamships of the Voluntary Fleet and a detachment of transports of 25 pennants, set off on a long journey (across three oceans) about 34 thousand kilometers long. Its task was to connect with the Port Arthur squadron and launch military operations against the Japanese in order to “... take possession of the Sea of ​​Japan.”

No sooner had the Russian ships entered the expanses of the North Sea than troubles began. In the middle of the night near Dogger Bank, the squadron mistook Gullian fishing boats for Japanese destroyers and shot them. At the same time, not understanding the darkness, it also hit our own people. For the “Gulla incident,” which brought fame to the Russian fleet throughout the world, Russia paid 650 thousand gold rubles for the damage caused.

In the Tangier roadstead, at the Gibraltar Gate, a small part of the shallow-draft ships was separated from the squadron and sent through the Mediterranean Sea to the Suez Canal and further through the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean. The main forces went south along the Atlantic. Rounding the huge continent of Africa, the ships either found themselves in a strip of torrential tropical rains, then walked in a thick milky-white fog, giving signals with a guttural roar, then swayed monotonously on the dead swell under the unbearably scorching rays of the tropical sun, then entered a strip of continuous multi-day storms when everything around was constantly roaring and bubbling under the hurricane wind. The formation of ships stretched for hundreds of miles, transports lagged behind and often broke down due to some kind of malfunction. And they happened very often. Here is how the commander of one of the squadron squadrons, Dobrovolsky, spoke about this: “... Not a single ship is decently equipped, everything is done somehow, on a living thread... It’s funny to say, our detachment has been on the road for two months, but the vehicles of our cruisers... still cannot develop even half the speed that was mandatory for them..."

The conditions of the transition were unbearably difficult, coal often had to be loaded from German coal miners by hand, right on the open sea, in terrible tropical heat - day and night, dirty and tired sailors literally fell off their feet. The Germans charged 500 rubles per day for vessel downtime, and the price of coal itself was astronomical.

They stocked up on fuel to the limit, all corners and even living quarters were filled with it, coal spontaneously ignited, and frequent fires broke out on ships.

Near the island of Sainte-Marie, near Madagascar, the squadron was caught in a terrible storm. Huge battleships were thrown around like toys, the Dmitry Donskoy lost its boat in this wild dance of the ocean, the tugboat Rus fell out of the marching formation, the coal on the battleship Prince Suvorov caught fire, the whaleboat of the Aurora was torn off and carried into the ocean...

In Nessi-be, in Madagascar, news was received of the surrender of Port Arthur to the Japanese and the death of the Pacific squadron. Further progress to Port Arthur was pointless. The crew of the squadron carried out repairs, the sailors hoped to return back to the Baltic. The commander of the squadron, Rozhdestvensky, who had recently received the rank of vice admiral, well understood the inexpediency and disastrous end of this enterprise, but did not dare to object to Emperor Nicholas II, to say about the weakness of his squadron in front of the forces of the Japanese fleet, which was nurtured by the strongest countries of Europe and the USA. To reinforce Rozhdestvensky, another squadron was sent from Libau on February 3, 1905, under the command of Rear Admiral N.I. Nebogatov, consisting of only five pennants - one old battleship, the same cruiser and three small coastal defense battleships, which the sailors nicknamed " self-propelled guns." They were low-sided and intended only for operations in the cramped skerry conditions of the Gulf of Finland, but not for squadron battles.

The wait for reinforcements in Madagascar was dragging on. To limit the time for the Japanese to prepare for the “meeting” of the Russian squadron, Rozhdestvensky scheduled a rendezvous with Nebogatov for April 26 near Vang Fong Bay and moved his huge flotilla across the Indian Ocean. At night, among the endless expanses of the ocean, the squadron resembled a fairy-tale city with its multi-colored running lights. And if it weren’t for the feeling of tense anticipation of the upcoming cruel denouement, this trip could pass for an exciting journey. But the harsh reality constantly reminded itself. The difficulties were incredible, there was nowhere to wait for help. Even the French allies did not allow the squadron (April 9) to rest in their Camp Rang Bay and forced it to leave the port, fearing complications with the Japanese.

After meeting with Nebogatov, whose ships only slightly increased the Russian forces, the combined squadron headed north to the place of death, heading for the Korean Strait. The German coal miners who supplied the squadron were afraid to penetrate the waters of the eastern seas after the Japanese warning, and the Russian squadron moved on, overloaded with coal beyond measure.

The Japanese, having learned that the Russian squadron was heading, without changing course, to the Korean Strait, concentrated three squadrons near the Tsushima Islands and - for more successful operations - divided each one into two or three more detachments. Their ships were mostly new, built with the latest technology.

“...One battleship “Mikasa”, with a displacement of fifteen thousand tons, is a colossus that has no equal in the entire Russian armada,” writes G. Khaliletsky. He goes on to eloquently characterize Japanese advantages. - ...Yes, Europe has already gone overboard for the Nippon Empire! The guns on Japanese ships - systems suspiciously similar to German ones, navigation instruments - twins of British ones, devices for ... mine attacks, they say, were previously patented in the North American United States. Even the sailing directions, if compared with those printed in London, differ only in the fact that instead of lines of English names, they have narrow columns of hieroglyphs...”

And here is what S. M. Belkin says about the advantage of the weapons of the Japanese fleet in his book “Stories about Famous Ships”:

“...The Japanese had powerful high-explosive shells that had a strong explosive effect, and they shot at our ships from 5.5 to 17.5 km. (According to Admiral Nebogatov himself, our shells exploded only 25%.) In addition, the Japanese had a faster rate of fire; if the Russians could fire 134 shots per minute, then the Japanese could fire up to three hundred. The Japanese shells contained more explosives. And in terms of shooting quality (the advantage) was even more significant. The Russians fired about 200 kg of explosive per minute, while the Japanese fired up to 3,000 kg.”

The Japanese were expecting the Russian squadron back in January, and they had plenty of time to prepare for the decisive battle.

On May 12, before reaching Jeju Island, six transports, including three merchant ships of the voluntary fleet, were separated from the Russian squadron in front of the Korean Strait. They were sent back, accompanied by the cruisers Dnepr and Rion. Now, before the battle, they were an extra burden on the warships. On the same day, the squadron headed for the eastern passage of the Korean Strait between Japan and the Tsushima Islands. On the night of May 14, she passed the Japanese guard line without lights, but two illuminated hospital ships gave the Japanese her route.

The morning over the strait rose gloomy and restless. The shroud of fog that hung in shreds over the water began to dissipate. The crew of the squadron lived in anxious anticipation of a Japanese attack.

It is better to follow the further course of events through the eyes of the participants in the Battle of Tsushima themselves - on the basis of documents, diaries and memoirs. This is how an eyewitness who was on the cruiser Aurora describes this battle.

“...After the shot flagship “Prince Suvorov” fell out of action like a huge burning fire, it was replaced by the battleship “Alexander III”, with whose name the most terrible memories of the horrors of Tsushima will forever remain associated... This battleship was hit by all the fire of twelve Japanese ships. And he, having taken the full brunt of the artillery strike, saved the rest of our ships at the cost of his death... having tilted heavily, he went out of action. Its appearance at that time was terrible: with a lot of holes in its sides, destroyed upper superstructures, it was completely enveloped in black smoke. Fountains of fire burst out from the gaps, from the heaps of broken parts. It seemed that the fire was about to reach the bomb magazines of the cruise chambers and the ship would fly into the air... It was enough for it to be subjected to several more blows from large-caliber shells to completely lose its last strength. This time he rolled to the left. Obviously, his steering gear had deteriorated; the steering wheel remained on the side. The circulation resulted in a strong roll. The water, spilling inside the battleship, rushed towards the tilted side, and immediately it was all over...

From the cruisers “Admiral Nakhimov” and “Vladimir Monomakh”, which followed the battleship, they saw it fall to its side like a felled oak tree. Many of its crew fell into the sea, others, as the ship capsized, crawled along its bottom towards the keel. Then he immediately turned over and continued to swim in this position for about two minutes. People stuck to its huge bottom, overgrown with algae, believing that it would remain on the surface of the sea for a long time; those who were already floundering in the waves also climbed onto it. From a distance it seemed that it was a sea monster swimming, spreading strands of algae and showing the red ridge of the keel. The people crawling on it looked like crabs.

The remaining ships, fighting with the enemy, moved on.

The wind hummed freely, rushing to new lands. Where “Alexander III” was, large waves rolled, rocking floating fragments of wood on their ridges, silent ghosts of a terrible drama. And no one will ever tell what kind of torment the people on this battleship experienced: out of the nine hundred people on its crew, not a single one survived.”

When the battleship Alexander III broke down and began to sink, “...Borodino remained in charge. Firing back, he walked forward, barely controlled by the remaining midshipmen... This time, too, the Japanese applied their original tactics to the Russians - to hit the lead ship. Until now, "Borodino", despite the damage and heavy losses in people, has held firm. It still had a twelve-inch aft turret and three six-inch starboard turrets. The ship apparently had no underwater holes. But now, under the salvos of six enemy ships, his energy was quickly depleted. It seemed as if blows from thousand-pound hammers had fallen on him. It burned like a wooden hut. Smoke mixed with gases penetrated into all the upper compartments...

There was not a single person left from the commanding officers at the top... Where was it (the ship) heading? Unknown... While the machines were working properly on him, he simply walked along the direction to which he was accidentally turned. And the whole squadron... trailed behind him, like a leader... Suddenly the battleship shook all over from an enemy salvo that hit it and began to quickly fall to the starboard side...” (From the story of the only surviving sailor.)

The Aurors further talk about this tragedy: “The Borodino, having capsized upward with its keel, no longer seemed like a formidable battleship, armed with almost sixty guns. Its bottom, covered with shells, rather resembled the bottom of a huge old barge that had outlived its time.

A powerful ship - a real armored city with hundreds of people on board - went into the abyss of the Tsushima Strait. The water closed over him, over a giant mass grave.” (Of the 900 crew members... only one sailor was destined to survive. Sailor Semyon Yushin escaped from an underwater grave.)

“Meanwhile, the (previously shot flagship) Suvorov suffered (also) a terrible fate. At the end of the day's battle... destroyers appeared from the Japanese side and, like packs of hounds, pounced on the once mighty and now dying beast... having approached (it) from the bow and emerging from under fire from the aft casemate, the Japanese were able to release their mines almost point-blank . The already tormented battleship received three or four blows at the same time, for a moment the flames erupted high, and, enveloped in clouds of black and yellow smoke, quickly sank.”

There were no survivors. (Only the officers who boarded the destroyer Buiny, who accompanied the wounded Admiral Rozhdestvensky, survived, including Krzhizhanovsky, whose report is kept in the Central State Aviation Marine Fleet.)

“And five cables away from Suvorov, a few minutes later Kamchatka folded its head. She was trying to protect her flagship with only four small 47mm cannons. A large shell exploded in her bow, and she quickly followed the battleship to the bottom.

There are few witnesses left from the Kamchatka, on which mostly civilian workers sailed...”

This is how the main forces of the squadron perished, while “...Rozhdestvensky and his staff, having left the flagship battleship, escaped on the destroyer Buiny, then on the destroyer Bedovy and surrendered to the Japanese. The Bedovoy’s guns were shamefully sheathed.”

Rear Admiral Nebogatov “raised a sheet instead of the St. Andrew’s flag.” They spoke so angrily and bitterly about the admiral's surrender. The fate of the Russian ships, which did not tarnish their honor, was different.

The destroyer "Bystry" blew itself up, but did not surrender to the enemy. “Dmitry Donskoy” doomed itself to death off the coast of Dazhelet Island - the crew sank the cruiser, but did not submit and did not lower the battle flag.

The battleship "Admiral Ushakov" fought to the last opportunity; when these possibilities were exhausted, the commander ordered the kingstons to be opened.

The battleship was commanded by the brother of the courageous scientist and traveler, captain of the first rank Vladimir Nikolaevich Miklouho-Maclay. He was the last to leave the Ushakov, wounded, supported by sailors, swam as long as he had the strength, and chose death in the waters of the Tsushima Strait over captivity.

The cruiser "Svetlana" fought with dignity and died with dignity, opening the kingstons. Hundreds of sailors were saved in the water. The Japanese cruiser "Otawa", taking revenge on the rebellious, not only did not take on board those in distress, but also passed in the thick of those sailing, tearing helpless and unarmed people to shreds with its propellers...

And in conclusion, a few statistics: of the 30 combat pennants of the Russian squadron, only the cruiser Almaz and two destroyers - Bravoy and Grozny - managed to break through to Vladivostok. In the middle of the night, three cruisers managed to escape with their lights extinguished from the encirclement of Japanese destroyers: Oleg, Zhemchug, and Aurora. They went to Manila (in the Philippines) and were interned there by American authorities. All other Russian ships were sunk or captured by the Japanese.

Despite the tragic ending of the Battle of Tsushima, which - in terms of its scale - has not yet been known to history, the 220-day passage of a huge formation of ships across three oceans in exceptionally difficult conditions was a feat in itself. In commemoration of this event, as well as in recognition of the valor of the Russian sailors in the grandiose battle of Tsushima, “The Sovereign Emperor, on the 19th day of February 1907, deigned to order the installation, according to the description and drawing attached, of a medal in memory of the voyage around Africa of the 2nd Pacific squadron under the command of Adjutant General Rozhdestvensky to be worn on the chest by officers and lower ranks who were on the ships that made this transition."

Below is a description of it in the document:

“Dark bronze medal. The front side of the medal depicts the earth's hemisphere and indicates the route of the squadron.

The reverse side of the medal features an image of an anchor and the numbers 1904 and 1905.

Ribbon for the medal according to the attached drawing (white-yellow-black).”

The dark color of the medal seems to emphasize the tragic end of the campaign. Some of these medals, made by private craftsmen, are specially tinted in the dark color of mourning. Unfortunately, they often suffer from distortion of the image on them.

Similar medals of private work are also found in gold and white metal. All of them, including the state minted ones, have a diameter of 28 mm.

Sometimes in collectors' collections there are also medals “For the campaign of the squadron...”, made of dark bronze and larger in size - 30 mm. They were also created privately. There are also miniature ones - tailcoat medals, made of white metal, with a diameter of 12 mm.

And the last, shrouded in mystery, is an interesting medal from the period of the Russian-Japanese War, individual copies of which are kept by collectors - “For the March to Japan”. There are three varieties of it - silver, light bronze and white metal.

This medal is not approved, it was most likely made according to the type of medal “For the campaign in China 1900–1901.” and differs from it only in the inscription and small details.

On the front side, under the imperial crown, is a large image of the ornate monogram of Nicholas II. On the reverse, along the edge of the medal's edge, there is a circular inscription: “FOR THE CAMPAIGN TO JAPAN”, inside which the dates are indicated: “1904–1905”, and below them, against the backdrop of a vertical anchor, there is a crossed rifle with a bayonet and a saber.

Some experts believe that several copies of this medal are trial (design) samples minted at a time when the government, blinded by the former glory of Russian weapons, intended to throw the Japanese army into the sea, land troops on the shores of Japan and, having crushed the enemy, sign peace without otherwise than in the Japanese capital. The inscription on the medal itself speaks about this. Naturally, the tape for it was not determined.

And again it’s one of the foreign medals that makes us return to Port Arthur.

Since the Russian government did not consider it necessary to establish a special award to reward the valiant defenders of Port Arthur, its ally France tried to fill this gap. The French population, admired by the fortitude and courage of Russian soldiers, at the call of the newspaper "L'echo de Paris" raised money and with these funds special medals (of a single type) were privately made to reward the defenders of Port Arthur: silver with gilding - for awarding all officer ranks of the military and naval departments, simply silver - for non-commissioned officers and light bronze - for rewarding soldiers, sailors and other defense participants.

Instead of the traditional eyelet, at the top of the edge of these medals there is a special pendant in the form of two dolphins with a bracket for a ribbon in the French national colors.

On the front side of this medal there is an image of interesting composition: in the foreground there are two Russian soldiers against the background of broken fortifications and destroyed guns. One of them, at full height, with a rifle, the other with a saber in his right hand and leaning with his left on a shield with the Russian coat of arms (double-headed eagle); behind them - on the right, the prospect of a roadstead is visible, with Russian warships standing on it. Above the figures of the soldiers is an allegorical image of France in the form of a soaring woman with laurel wreaths in both hands, and at the very edge there is a circular inscription: "Defense de Port-Arthur 1904".

On the reverse side, below the middle, there is a shield with a laurel wreath suspended on it and the inscription: “From France to General Stoessel and his brave soldiers”; on the sides are eagles, in profile, with wings spread out during takeoff; above the shield is an image of a proudly standing lion, “...placing his right paw on the crown and banner.”

These medals, in the amount of 30 thousand pieces, were sent to Russia and for a long time were in the Naval Ministry, where they could not decide what to do with them. After all, the name of General Stessel was mentioned there, who treacherously surrendered the fortress with strong weapons, a large supply of firepower and food, and, finally, with a combat-ready, numerous garrison. The commandant of the fortress was put on trial, and suddenly these medals glorifying him as a hero?

As the press reported in 1910, “...The Ministry agreed to issue them to the circle of defenders of Port Arthur on the condition that the circle’s funds would remove the inscription “To General Stoessel” and ears from the medals so that they could not be worn as orders.” In this case, the awards lost their meaning and turned into ordinary commemorative tokens. Naturally, the circle of Portarturians did not agree to this. But it was not wise to return the medals back to France. The ears from them were nevertheless broken off and, according to the magazine “Staraya Moneta”, they were given to the defense participants “without the right to wear them.” But this was no longer motivated by the presence of Stoessel’s name on the medals, but by the fact that they were privately made.

And about one more Port Arthur award. We have already mentioned that such an outstanding event as the eleven-month defense of Port Arthur was not awarded a special award. Instead, the defenders of the Kwantung Peninsula fortress were awarded a combined arms “curious” medal.

After the end of the Russo-Japanese War, a statute was developed on a special insignia to award participants in the defense of the fortress, but some unknown forces held back its approval. Perhaps this award would have remained a good idea if it were not for the foreign medal minted with donations from the French people. The conflict that arose over its presentation with the circle of Portarturians pushed the ministry to approve the long-prepared statute. But only on the anniversary date - the tenth anniversary of the defense, January 19, 1914, six months before the start of the First World War, a special cross “For Port Arthur” adorned the chest of the surviving defenders of the fortress.

There were two varieties of this badge: silver - for awarding officers and light bronze - for lower ranks.

The ends of the cross (42x42 mm) are widened in the manner of St. George, but with swords crossed in the center (hilts down); in a rosette stylized as a six-bastion polygon of a fortress, on white enamel there is a black silhouette of a squadron battleship with clearly visible side guns.

On the two horizontal ends of the cross there are large convex inscriptions: on the left - “PORT”, on the right - “ARTUR”; On the back of the sign there is a pin for attaching it to clothing.

There are similar crosses made of light bronze, somewhat different from the one described above. They do not have enamel in the rosette; the ship is depicted in profile (starboard side).

This badge completes a series of awards dating back to the period of the Russo-Japanese War.

1906 "In memory of the Russian - Japanese war of 1904-1905", light bronze, state. minted, Diameter = 28 mm, a light bronze medal was awarded to persons who participated during 1904 - 1905. in one or more battles against the Japanese. Minted at St. Petersburg MD - 700,000 St. bronze medals.

There were 3 types of medal:
1. Silver medal- intended for soldiers who took a direct part in the defense of the port of Arthur, for the defenders of the Kwantung Peninsula. Therefore, a silver medal of the Russian-Japanese War is much less common and its cost is quite high. In addition to soldiers, such a medal was given to medical workers and even civilians who were in besieged Port Arthur.

2. Light bronze medal- was issued to soldiers and commanders who participated in at least one battle against the Japanese, no matter whether it was at sea or on land. The light bronze medal is also valued by collectors and its cost reaches 6,000 rubles for preservation.

3. Dark bronze medal- intended for all military ranks who were in the service of the sovereign, but did not take part in hostilities. This is exactly the specimen shown in the picture above. The price for such medals is low, about 1000-1500 rubles; by the way, we sold our medal of the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905 for 1500 rubles.

Now a few words about the history of the medal.
Initially, when the design of the medal was approved, the inscription on the front side of the medal read “may God exalt you.” At that time, peace with the Japanese was on the verge of being concluded, and the king had already been given a report on the importance of making the medal. The king decided to wait a little for the release of the medal and signed the bottom of the report " in my time", making it clear that the medal should be released when peace is concluded. But when the minting began, the report contained an inscription in the king’s hand - in due time, and this was regarded as an addition to the main inscription “may the Lord exalt you.” That’s it and an interesting and incomprehensible inscription was formed on the medals of the Russian-Japanese War.

There are known test copies of medals of the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905, on which there is no tsar’s note “in his time,” that is, on the front medal there is a proud inscription “ may the Lord exalt you"Needless to say, the cost of such rarities is very high, but only a few copies are known. Trial medals, as well as coins, are extremely rare and expensive. Therefore, it would be logical to assume that when the king was brought to sign a report on the need to issue an award medal to the participants war, they immediately brought a trial version of the medal. One can only guess how it all happened.

In addition to this medal, there is another medal of the Russian-Japanese War - " red cross medal"Red Cross medals were awarded to everyone who took part in the work of the Red Cross Society during the Russo-Japanese War. These were orderlies, paramedics, doctors, as well as those who donated to the Red Cross Society both in money and in things.

Such a medal is much less common, especially when preserved, because the “red cross” consists of enamel, which, unfortunately, wears off over time. So if you find such a medal, and even with preserved red enamel, then it will be a luxurious find, because such specimens go at auction for 12,000-17,000 rubles.

Related publications
© 2024. legalrollers.ru My garden and vegetable garden - Portal for gardeners. All rights reserved