Gallery of St. George's Cavaliers of First World War available on portal of Presidential Library

27 July 2024
Source: The Presidential Library

110 years ago, on July 28, 1914, the First World War began. This war, which was grand in its scale and consequences, claimed millions of lives and led to the collapse of several empires and the formation of new countries. In pre-revolutionary Russia, this war was known as the Great or Second Patriotic War.

This war between nations has shown numerous examples of the courage and bravery of the Russian people. Heroes have been found in the most remote corners of our vast country, all for the glory of our beloved sovereign and his army.

"A living word is needed to pass on this message to a new generation. Such work would create a worthy memorial to the courage of the Russian military, and would bring news of our heroes to the most distant parts of Russia, inspiring hundreds and thousands of Russians to new feats."

These words from a report to Emperor Nicholas II, written by General Vladimir Fredericks, are written in Tatyana Ilyina's book, Heroes of the Great War. 1914-1918: Materials of the Trophy Commission in the Collection of the Military Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineering and Communication Troops - a joint project implemented by the Russian Historical Society, the Military Historical Museum of Artillery, the Presidential Library, and the Kuchkovo Pole Publishing House.

On the portal of the Presidential Library, there is a collection called World War I (1914-1918) which includes a catalogue and a gallery of St. Georges Cavalrymen of the First World War. These materials were compiled based on the findings of the Trophy Commission, using holdongs from the Military Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineers, and Communications Troops. The unique documents, frontline drawings, and portraits created by artists during the First World War are an invaluable historical resource.
 
The drawings were created during the years 1915-1917 with the highest approval of Emperor Nicholas II. Students from the battle class at the Academy of Art, under the guidance of the renowned artist Nikolai Samokish, felt it was impossible to depict the war without having seen it with their own eyes. They traveled to the front lines of the active army, forming a military art detachment. They took with them approximately 400 works and numerous photographs. In 1915, an exhibition showcasing these works was held in the halls of the Academy, receiving tremendous success. Other artists involved in the Trophy Commission's activities were tasked with illustrating the exploits of St. George's Cavaliers, painting their portraits, and capturing scenes of the war on the battlefield and in hospitals under fire.
 
The collection of materials about St. George's Cavaliers, including not only drawings, photographs, and portraits of heroes, but also questionnaires, memoirs, and descriptions of their deeds, became the main focus of the Trophy Commission's work during the First World War.
 

"Just recently, self-awareness has awakened that we are Russians and must love our homeland first of all. Military education of children has begun, and it has already had a good effect," Vladimir Fredericks reported to the emperor in early January 1916, proposing to expand activities for patriotic education of the population in order to "fill this gap." Soon the publication of St. George's memoirs – tables of war heroes was started. While on business trips at the fronts, members of the Trophy Commission recorded the stories of participants in the events, made sketches. St. George's memos were sent to the hero's homeland, to the regiment where he served, to museums, so that fellow soldiers, relatives and fellow countrymen would be proud of their heroes.

Another area of this work was the publication and distribution of pamphlets about the St. George Cavaliers. For example, the second issue of the publication Heroes and Trophies of the Great People's War, which is available on the Presidential Library's portal, starts with a photo of the heir to the Russian throne, who was awarded the St. George Medal of the IV degree. On October 12, 1915,  he was visiting the wounded in the Klevan area, as an eleven-year-old child, he was "in the area of long-range fire of enemy artillery." The same issue of the brochure tells about the exploits of the head of the corps detachment of the podesaul Vyacheslav Tkachev, artillery conductor of the 2nd Baltic Naval crew Chrysanthus Bondar, lieutenant-lieutenant of the Life Guards of the Keksholm regiment Alexei Pavlov, lieutenant colonel of the 36th infantry Oryol regiment Fedor Tyutchev, son of the famous poet.

Among the people who defended our country during the First World War and received the honorary title of Knight of St. George were representatives from various social backgrounds, from noble families to ordinary peasants. Officers, soldiers, priests, and nurses all performed their military duties with courage and honor, setting an example for others. The first recipient of the St. George's Cross during the First World War was Don Cossack Kuzma Kryuchkov. In the night of August 12, 1914, a group of five Cossacks from the Don Cossack Regiment was on reconnaissance when they encountered a German detachment of 27 soldiers. One Cossack went to report, while the other four joined the fight. Kuzma recalled: "I was surrounded by 11 enemies. Not wanting to surrender, I decided to fight to the death."

In the account of the Cossack, the battle seems ordinary, but it was against cavalrymen who were the elite of any army. For his bravery and courage, 24-year-old Kuzma Kryuchkov was awarded the St. George Cross of the IV degree. The commander of the 1st Army, General Pavel von Rennenkampf, presented the award to him personally in the infirmary.

Many books have been written about the deed of the first holder of the St. George Order in the Russian Imperial Army.

On the portal of the Presidential Library, there are two articles about the hero of the Don Cossacks, Kuzma Kryuchkov. They are titled The Hero of the Don Cossack, Kuzma Kryuchkov, and His Glorious Victories over the Enemies, How He Killed Eleven Germans Alone (1914) and The Bravest Hero of the Great Patriotic War, the First Cavalier of Saint George, the Glorious Cossack from the Quiet Don, Kuzma Kryuchkov, and the 12-Year-Old Boy Hero, Saint George Cavalier, Andryusha Mironenko. A portrait of Kuzma Kryuchkov by the famous artist, Maxim Martynov, is also featured. The hero's feat was widely celebrated, with his portraits and battle scenes printed on cigarette packs, matchboxes, and postcards. Although Kuzma Kryuchkov was not pleased with the attention he received, the image of the brave and indomitable Cossack played a significant role in making 1914 a year of increased patriotism, according to many historians.

The collection of the Presidential Library titled World War I (1914-1918) contains more than two thousand depository items. A significant portion of these items are related to the period between 1914 and 1918. They include official documents such as laws, decrees, and manifestos, as well as leaflets, memoirs, diaries, letters, journalistic materials, periodicals, fictional works, photographs, postcards, newsreels, maps, and plans. These materials, created directly during the war years, provide readers with an opportunity to experience that era and see the war through the eyes of those who witnessed it.