2nd class Saint Anna order awarded in 1930 to Thomas Schütte, former Royal Danish Vice-Consul in the city of Novorossiysk

2nd class set made by Kretly https://asiamedals.info/threads/orders-of-saint-anna-made-by-kretly-paris.25826/. It was awarded to Thomas Schütte, former Royal Danish Vice-Consul in the city of Novorossiysk, "in recognition of distinguished service to Russia during the period 1916–1920, specifically: in 1916–1917, for the excellent organization - commissioned by the local governor - of food supplies for the population of the Black Sea Governorate; in 1918, for providing aid to persecuted representatives of the Russian Imperial authorities and to Russian officers of the Imperial Army and Navy; in 1919-1920 - during the armed struggle against the Bolsheviks and the occupation of the Black Sea Governorate by the forces of the Russian Volunteer Army - for assisting members of that army, supporting the local administration in its efforts to settle refugees, and aiding the Russian Red Cross; and for assistance provided during the evacuation of Novorossiysk to many Russians who were fleeing the city and facing danger from the Bolsheviks."

An eccentric instance of an award consisting of the insignia of the Order of Saint Anna 2nd class with a breast star. Under the statutes of the Russian Empire, the 2nd class of the order of Saint Anna consisted solely of a cross, worn around the neck on a ribbon 45 mm wide.

2nd class cross.

Silver, gilt, enamel.
Size 52.1 mm.
Weight 33.51 g.

Marked with a French silver hallmark "boar's head".

 

Breast star.

Silver, gilt, enamel.
Size 85 × 84.8 mm.
Weight 84.89 g.

Pin marked with a French silver hallmark "boar's head".

 

Original case.

 

Copy of original award document issued on January 7, 1930. Signed by the exiled Emperor of All Russia, Kirill, dated January 7, 1930, from Saint-Briac. In total, he made only five such awards of this order.

 

French translation.

 

Thomas Schütte (referred to in Russian records as Foma Nikolaevich Schütte) was a Danish Vice-Consul in Novorossiysk, Russia. He was assisting in the rescue and evacuation of members of the Russian Imperial Family. In early 1920, as the Red Army advanced toward the Kuban region, Schütte took Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna (the youngest sister of Tsar Nicholas II), her husband Nikolai Kulikovsky, and their young children under his protection. The Vice-Consul initially hid the Romanov-Kulikovsky family in his own home in Novorossiysk, ensuring their safety amid the chaotic collapse and retreat of the White Army. Thanks to Schütte's diplomatic assistance, the Grand Duchess and her family safely boarded a ship in March or April 1920. They evacuated via Constantinople, Serbia, and Vienna, eventually reaching Denmark. There, they reunited with Olga's mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna (the aunt of King Christian X of Denmark).​

The man in the middle is the Danish consul Thomas Schütte. To the left is clearly recognizably Olga Alexandrovna Romanov, the man at her side with the little child is Nikolai Alexandrovich Kulikovsky.