An extremely rare 1919 ‘South Russia’ A.F.C., Order of St. Stanislaus, group of six awarded to Captain E. C. Baines, 47 Squadron, Royal Air Force, who served as the senior officer and R.E.8 instructor at the R.A.F. Instructional Mission, Ekaterinodar - a thankless task, fraught with danger due to the ineptitude of the general Russian pilot intake and unskilled mechanics; often leading to injury and fatalities during the instruction process Air Force Cross, G.V.R., unnamed as issued; British War and Victory Medals (Capt. E. C. Baines. R.A.F.); Defence Medal; Special Constabulary Long Service Medal, G.VI.R., 1st issue, 1 clasp, Long Service, 1946 (Sergt. Edmund C. Baines); Russia, Empire, Order of St. Stanislaus, Military Division, Third Class neck badge, by Keibel, St. Petersburg, gold (56 zolotniki) and enamel, with crossed swords, Court stamp and maker’s mark to reverse, 1865-96 marks to suspension ring, mounted for display on card, minor green enamel damage to wreath on last, generally very fine (6) £2,800-£3,200 --- A.F.C. London Gazette 12 July 1920. The original recommendation states: ‘Ekaterinodar 18 May 1919 - 3 September 1919. For his services with and instructing in the air Russian pilots on R.E.8 machines. Lt. E. C. Baines has shown great perseverance, energy and skill and has carried out his duties in the air continually and energetically. He has the responsibility of testing in the air machines rigged by Russian mechanics who are often comparatively unskilled in their work.’ 1 of only 3 A.F.C.’s awarded for the whole of the South Russia campaign (the other two being awarded to Lieutenant E. J. Head and Flying Officer A. P. Ritchie - both also employed at the R.A.F. Instructional Mission, Ekaterinodar). Edmund Clifford Baines was born in 1897, and resided at Beckford, Bramhall Lane, Stockport. He initially joined the 6th Battalion, Cheshire Regiment (T.F.), prior to transferring to the Royal Air Force. Baines served with the R.A.F. in Aden, Egypt and Palestine, with 14 and 142 Squadrons during the latter part of 1918. He left Palestine, and was posted to join 47 Squadron in South Russia in July 1919. Baines was posted as a Captain to the R.A.F. Instructional Mission in August 1919 (later renamed South Russian Mission and ‘Z’ Squadron). All R.A.F. operational units were ordered to withdraw in late 1919, leaving only the Instructional Mission in situ. 47 Squadron remained as a volunteer unit, losing its identity and becoming known as ‘A’ Squadron. Baines was the senior officer employed at the R.A.F. Instructional Mission, and had the onerous task of teaching the Russians to fly: ‘Many of their students were hopelessly inept and others resented taking instruction from officers of lesser rank than themselves. The Russians crashed so many of the R.E.8’s that they spread the tale that the type had been condemned by the R.A.F., which had then foisted them off on to Deniken’s air service... This, of course, was completely untrue.... The trouble was the Russian pilots themselves and not the machines.’ (Air Command: A Fighter Pilot’s Story, by Air Vice Marshal R. Collishaw refers). An extract from a report from the R.A.F. Instructional Mission, included in part in the same publication as quoted above, is believed to have been penned by Baines as the senior officer present: ‘... in No. 6 Don Squadron only 6 pilots came for instruction instead of 10. One was sent away for disobedience of orders. One went solo once, and refused to fly anymore. One went solo once, crashed on his second solo and is now in hospital. One sprained his arm when due for solo. There remain two, of which we are not very hopeful of ever making either an R.E.8 pilot. In the case of Lt. Ritchie’s unit, one evening he reported three ready for solo next day. One died, one went sick, and the other was sent away on special duty to Kharkov. Capt. Head reports that in his Squadron he has no hope of two pilots out of seven ever going solo on R.E.8’s....’ Ritchie had an article published in The Hawk (the Journal of the R.A.F. Staff College) in 1928, which gives an excellent insight into the nature of the instructional duties carried out by the three instructors at the training mission (photocopy included with the lot). Baines left Russia in February 1920, and returned to the UK via Constantinople. He transferred to the Unemployed List in April 1920, and his award of the Order of St. Stanislaus is confirmed by MOD S10J (11 October 1976) and listed in White Russian Awards by R. Brough. Sold with copied research.
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