Russian Imperial Military Bronze Neck badge Geok-Tepe Medal order (1194a)
Neck badges of officers of the Russian Empire. Neck badges, or as they were officially called, chest badges of officers first appeared in the Russian army under Peter I, in his Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky regiments, which were classified as guards from 1700. It is believed that the first neck badges first appeared in France in the mid-17th century, from where they were borrowed by other states. The neck badge was a modification of an element of knightly armor - the neck part of the armor, therefore it was used as an identification feature of an officer in the regular army, and by the color combination of the elements of the badge field, rim, coat of arms, etc. It was possible to determine even the officer's rank. The 83rd Samur Infantry Regiment had a glorious history. It was formed on December 16, 1845 from the 2nd and 3rd battalions of the Podolsk Regiment, the 2nd and 3rd battalions of the Zhitomir Regiment and the Georgian Linear No. 10 Battalion, with the addition of people from the 2nd and 3rd battalions of the Prague Infantry Regiment, which were abolished at the same time. The regiment took an active part in the Caucasian War, the Khiva campaign, the capture of Geok-Tepe, was awarded St. George's horns for various battles, and had insignia in the form of ribbons on their headdresses. The regiment was called the 83rd Samur Infantry Regiment of His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, and from February 11, 1909, the 83rd Samur Infantry Regiment.
On the eve of World War I, the regiment was stationed in Stavropol. With the outbreak of World War I, the regiment was transferred to the Southwestern Front as part of the 3rd Caucasian Corps, where it took part in combat operations until the end of 1917 (in 1917, it was already part of the Romanian Front). The units of the 83rd Samur Infantry Regiment had different inscriptions on their badges.
These inscriptions were assigned to units of the regiment that distinguished themselves in the respective battles and campaigns in which the regiment participated between 1857 and 1881. The badge became an accessory to the peacetime uniform, but there is evidence that they could be worn during ceremonial events in the rear and during the First World War. Please carefully review the attached photos, if you need any additional photos please contact me. Pay Pal only Thank you.