Russia Imperial 🇷🇺 1912-1917 Medal for the Strengthening the Naval Air Fleet.

Medal  of the Special Committee for Strengthening the Naval Air Fleet for voluntary donations. St. Petersburg, 1912–1917. Eduard company. Hallmarks on the reverse side of the Medal at the bottom on the wreath ribbon: St. Petersburg District Assay Office in an oval shield [alpha, female head in kokoshnik, to the right, 84], round identification mark and name stamp “VD”. Silver, gilding, oxidation, enamel, 9.05 g. Dimensions 35.3×23.1 mm. Very good condition, small chip in enamel. Boynovich, Dotsenko# 170. Dotsenko# 135. Boynovich, Sibirtsev# 1.153. Khairullin M.A., Bozhko A.A. Breast badges and tokens of the Special Committee for Strengthening the Navy with Voluntary Donations and the Imperial All-Russian Aero Club. 1909–1917 // Russian Aviation in the Great War. Exhibition Catalogue / Comp. D.A. Klochkov. SPb., 2024. Pp. 16–27.

The Special Committee for Strengthening the Navy with Voluntary Donations was established in February 1904. An air fleet department was organized under the Committee, with Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich (1866–1933) becoming its head in 1909. The first Russian pilots, 5 officers and 7 lower ranks, were sent to France to study flying with the Committee’s funds. The Committee purchased 90 aircraft in three years with one million rubles and organized the first aviation schools in Russia, in Sevastopol and Gatchina.