Photos of ordinary Life guards 3rd Finnish rifle battalion RIA

Visit-portrait. Finland became part of Russia after the Russo-Swedish war of 1808 – 1809, he called the Grand Duchy of Finland. Local inhabitants were given enough shirkie rights and privileges; in fact, Finland before 1917 remained autonomy within the Empire. One of these privileges was the right to military service in the parts to be picked entirely from the Finnish natives and stationed in Finland. In a sign of trust and gratitude to the citizens of the Grand Duchy of Finland a part was created in composition of the Russian guard. The basis for it was leading its history since 1818, the Finnish educational infantry battalion, 16 June 1829, entitled the Young guard with the renaming of the Life guards Finnish rifle battalion. Your fighting qualities of the battalion confirmed during the suppression of the Polish uprising of 1830 – 1831., for which he was bestowed the banner of St. George, and also in the Russo-Turkish war of 1877 – 1878, the results of which the battalion received a right Old guard. Since then, many Finns were the natural hunters, the battalion always flourished in small business, and its officials often received prizes for the excellent shooting. Service in the Imperial guard they are very proud, and, according to the memoirs of contemporaries, "proudly wore their national blue edges instead of the Russian raspberry, and the sides of the uniforms – a whole chain of differences for excellent shooting". Unfortunately, in Finland the growth of separatist sentiment put paid to the idea of the Finnish units in the Russian army. By Statute on conscription 1901, Finnish natives were sent to serve in the troops on a common basis, on an extraterritorial basis, and their national side disbanded.

The last of them just became the Life guards 3rd Finnish rifle battalion, abolished in 1903 the Uniform of the battalion differed from the forms of other guards Riflemen with light blue edgings, epaulets and cuffs of the valves instead of a raspberry and a mint belt plates and buttons in the form of a double-headed eagle with the Finnish coat of arms (a lion with two swords and the seven roses) on the chest, a metal device traditionally was silver. On a black and white photo Finnish shooters can be distinguished by the lack of distinction part over St. Andrew's star on the hat. Waist belt – patent leather, black color, has all the small parts. Left on the belt – scabbard with bayonet, worn in dismissal to the city. The St. Petersburg Studio of Gustav Janson worked since the early 1880s, and at number 71 on the embankment of the Fontanka river moved in 1892, which allows us to accurately date the photo. Because of their small size ranks of the Life guards 3rd Finnish rifle battalion meet up in the photos very rare. The guarantee of authenticity.