David
Thu October 7, 2004 5:34am
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Order of the Patriotic Wa
Order of the Patriotic War 1st Class
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 5:34am
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Order of the Patriotic Wa
Order of the Patriotic War 2nd Class
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 5:39am
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Order of Glory 2nd Class
Order of Glory 2nd Class
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 5:40am
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Order of Glory 3rd Class
Order of Glory 3rd Class
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 5:41am
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Order of Mother Heroine
Order of Mother Heroine
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 5:45am
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Order of Maternal Glory 1
Order of Maternal Glory 1st Class
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 5:46am
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Order of Maternal Glory 2
Order of Maternal Glory 2nd Class
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 5:46am
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Order of Maternal Glory 3
Order of Maternal Glory 3rd Class
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 9:30am
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Distinguished Service Ord
The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) dates back to 1886, during the reign of Queen Victoria. The award is generally not given to officers below the rank of Captain. In terms of gallantry awards, The DSO ranks below the Victoria Cross and above the Military Cross, in order of precedence. It is almost always awarded for gallantry in action. There were 8,981 awards for the First World War.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 9:36am
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L
L?gion d'Honneur -- This order, the highest French distinction, is awarded to all persons which distinguished themselves through civilian or military valour. The order was instituted early in the 19th century (1802) by the then First Consul, Napoleon Bonaparte, in 4 classes. In 1805 a fifth, and highest class, was added. These classes are :
Grand Croix -
Gold badge worn at left hip on broad scarlet sash from right shoulder to left hip. Star on left breast.
Grand Officer - Gold badge worn on left breast. Star on right breast.
Commandeur - Gold badge worn at neck on scarlet ribbon.
Officer - Gold badge worn on left breast, suspended from scarlet ribbon with rosette.
Chevalier -
Silver badge worn on left breast, scarlet ribbon.
When awarded for war services, the L?gion d'Honneur carried automatic award of the Croix de Guerre with palm. Shown, is the Obverse and Reverse of the 4th class award, i.e. "Officier" as issued between 1870-1940 (French 3rd Republic).
Obverse text : REPUBLIQUE FRAN?AISE 1870
Reverse text : HONNEUR ET PATRIE (Honour and Fatherland)
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 9:37am
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Croix de Guerre
Croix de Guerre (War Cross 1914-1918 ) Probably the best known French decoration, this cross was awarded to all those who were mentioned in dispatches since the outbreak of war (2 August 1914).
It was instituted on 8 April 1915 as an outward recognition for being mentioned in the order of the day of an army, corps, division, brigade or batallion. Award of the Legion of Honour for valour displayed on the field or of the Military Medal automatically brought entitlement to the War Cross.
According to the nature of the mention, emblems were affixed on the ribbon:
Bronze palm for mention on army level (5 bronze palms to be replaced by a silver one by decree of 8 January 1917)
Gilt star for mention on corps level
Silver star for mention on division level
Bronze star for mention on brigade or batallion level.
By 1 March 1920 already more than 2,055,000 crosses had been awarded. The reverse side bears the year 1914 together with the year in which they were struck (1915, 1916, 1917 or 1918).
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 9:41am
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M
M?daille de la Victoire 1914-1918 - also called "M?daille Interalli?e" as all allies issued one with this particular ribbon. Awarded to all members of the armed forces who served for a minimum of 3 months during WWI.
It was instituted on 20 July 1922 and was also conferred on medical personnel, prisoners of war, escaped prisoners etc. It is worn immediately after French orders and decorations, i.e. before any colonial orders or decorations and before any campaign or commemorative medals. A number of unofficial medals were struck and can be found regularly.
The medal's reverse bearing the text "RF La Grande Gverre povr la Civilisation 1914-1918" (RF = R?publique Fran?aise - The Great War for Civilization)
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:02pm
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Order of Alexander Nevsky
The Order of Alexander Nevsky was planned by Peter the Great as an exclusively military merit award, but he died before it had been awarded to anyone. During the reign of his wife Catherine, the order was established (1725) and bestowed on notable civilians as well as military heroes. Thus, the order had both civil and military awards, the latter being designated (after the mid-1800s) by crossed swords placed diagonally between the arms of the cross-shaped badge. The badge was worn at the left hip on a solid scarlet moire sash. A star of the order was worn on the left breast.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:02pm
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Order of St. George
The Order of St. George, Imperial Russia's highest exclusively military order, was instituted in 1769 and came to be considered among the most prestigious military awards in the world, ranking just below the Order of St. Andrew the First Called. The order was awarded to officers and generals for special gallantry, such as, personally leading his troops in rout of a superior enemy force, or capturing a fortress, etc. Before membership in the Order could be granted, a candidate's case had to be investigated by a council composed of Knights of the Order.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:03pm
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Order of St.Vladimir
The Order of St.Vladimir was instituted in 1782, originally as a civil order of merit, such as for life saving or famine relief. There were four classes. During the Crimean War, it was awarded for military merit as well. If awarded for deeds in arms, crossed swords were placed between the cross arms. To be included in the Order of St. Vladimir (of any class) also granted the recipient hereditary noble rank. After 1826, only the Order of St. George shared this distinction.
A person would be awarded the order's lowest class for the first heroic act. A second meritorious act could be rewarded with the next higher class and so on. Usually only the badge of the highest class was worn. If a recipient had been awarded a lower class with swords, for valor in battle, crossed swords would be set between the cross arms. If the recipient went on to be awarded a higher class, but in peace time, small crossed swords would be set across the upper cross arm.
The Order of St. Vladimir can sometimes be seen in medal groups of non-Russian Allied soldiers, including examples awarded by the White Russian armies after the fall of the Czar. It ranked above the Order of Saint Anne, and below the Order of Saint George. The order of St. Vladimir, fourth class, can be seen as the solitary decoration worn by Czar Nicholas II in the photos taken of him during his final days of captivity before he and his family were executed.
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