Uniforms of the Supreme Ruler's Escort

Material and reconstructions by A. Karevskiy, unless noted otherwise

Order No. 162 of the Military Department, 3 May 1919, Omsk

The Supreme Ruler and Supreme Commander-in-Chief orders:

The uniform of officers and soldiers of the Supreme Ruler's escort shall be the field uniform style with the following differences:

Cap – dark red crown, black visor, white piping around the edges of the hatband and crown.

Shoulder-boards – dark red cloth, without cipher, with white piping. Officers shall have gold metal.

Field uniform – khaki, cavalry-style cuffs, with white piping.

Everyday trousers – khaki cloth, with piping of the same colour and double stripes of dark red cloth (3 cm wide).

Parade trousers – dark red cloth with white stripes.

Belt – white elk leather.

Sword belt – shoulder-length, made of elk leather, white in colour.

Boots – Russian design.

Signed by the Minister of War, Major General Stepanov.

Material kindly provided by Moscow researcher V. V. Romanov.

Order No. 27 of the Supreme Ruler dated 24 January 1919 instructed "to entrust the acting head of the Supreme Ruler's Escort, Captain Udintsev, with the formation of an escort komand". On the same day, Order No. 28 announced the temporary staffing of the bodyguard, according to which it was to consist of: 6 junior officers, 1 sergeant-major, 18 other NCOs, 120 privates, 10 mounted orderlies, 5 telephone operators, 5 machine gunners, 1 bugler, 1 drummer and 13 more non-combatants.

Apparently, at first the bodyguards did not have special uniforms. The description of such uniforms was announced only on 3 May 1919 in Order No. 162 of the War Department, which stated that the uniforms of officers and soldiers of the escort should be of the "field uniform style" in khaki with the following distinctions: cap – dark red cloth crown, black visor, white piping around the band and crown; dark red cloth shoulder-boards with white piping, without insignia, with "gold trim" for officers, cavalry-style cuffs with white piping; everyday trousers – khaki with white piping and double dark red stripes (3 cm wide); parade trousers – dark red cloth with white piping; belt and shoulder straps – white deerskin; boots – Russian style.

Ezeev, A. B. in "Admiral A. V. Kolchak's Escort // Tseykhgauz, No. 5", Moscow, 1996, p.36, citing GARF F.176. Op.2 D.2 L.56,58 and "Russian Army [newspaper] No. 93", Omsk, 7 May 1919, p.1.

The guards wore British khaki uniforms with wide dark red shoulder-boards with white piping.

Fleming, P. in "The Fate of Admiral Kolchak: 1917-1920", Moscow, 2007, p.148.

Shoulder-boards and uniforms of the Supreme Ruler's Escort:
1 – lieutenant colonel; 2 – sergeant-major; 3 – staff-captain; 4 – private

The Annenkovtsy wore a special uniform. They had bright red bashlyki hanging down their backs. They stood out from all the other soldiers and were mistaken for the admiral's escort. In reality, Kolchak's guards wore the usual English-style uniform for Omsk.

Gins, G. K. in "Siberia, the Allies and Kolchak", Moscow, 2007, p.530.

Shoulder-boards and uniforms of the Supreme Ruler's Escort according to G. Gins:
1 – private; 2 – staff captain