Single page 6 ½" x 7 ½", front only. The ID bears the letterhead stamp of the 1st Semyonovsky Guards Battalion, is hand-signed by its commanding officer Col. Yakimovich, and bears the battalion's seal. The ID confirms the identity of Podporuchik (Lieutenant) Semyon Derkach (Семен Павлович Деркач), who had just been assigned to the battalion while it was deployed in the city of Priluki, Chernigov Province.

In very good condition. The paper is frail but pliable, not brittle. The horizontal fold line shows partial separations, however, with the blank verso, this can be easily reinforced with tape, if desired. The same goes for the three small rips to the bottom and right edges. There is no missing paper there, and the rips can be similarly repaired and reinforced. The typed text, letterhead and seal are somewhat faded but the lines are crisp and every word is perfectly legible. The handwritten lettering, including the commander's hand signature in pencil, is crisp and bright.

The history of the Semyonovsky Guards Regiment ascends to Peter the Great who formed a "toy" regiment in the village of Semyonovskoye which gave the regiment its name. Very quickly, the "toy" part had become a thing of the past, and the regiment became part of the very core of Peter's army, - well-trained, courageous, and loyal to the czar. Very long story short, the regiment, unsurprisingly, took the "white" side during the Russian Civil War, and was disbanded in May 1918 by decree of the Commissariat for Military Affairs, only to be re-formed in General Denikin's Volunteer Army of the South of Russia later that year.

After Denikin's unsuccessful march on Moscow, the strength of the Volunteer Army quickly melted under the pressure of the Red Army until, by the date of this document, the glorious Semyonovsky Guards Regiment was down to just one battalion of three companies in the Consolidated Regiment of the 1st Guards Infantry Division. By 19 November, only two companies remained. By 24 November - just one company under the command of Colonel Yakimovich.

Please note that the St. George Cross in our last photo is for size reference.