Anton Irv VR I/2, VR II/2, VR II/3 (17 September 1886 – 27 April 1919) was a highly decorated

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

n combat soldier and military officer during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and in the

Estonian War of Independence The Estonian War of Independence ( et, Vabadussõda, literally "Freedom War"), also known as the Estonian Liberation War, was a defensive campaign of the Estonian Army and its allies, most notably the United Kingdom, against the Bolshevik westwa ...

.Toivo Miljan, ''Historical Dictionary of Estonia'', Scarecrow Press 2004 Along with

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Karl Parts Karl Parts VR I/1, VR II/2, VR II/3 (15 July 1886 in Palupera Commune, Estonia – 1 September 1941 in Kirov, Soviet Union) was an Estonian military commander during the Estonian War of Independence. In 1915, he graduated from Peterhof Mili ...

, he was the leader of Estonian armored trains in the

. Anton Irv died in the Battle of Egle (near Strenči) in Latvia. Anton Irv was born in Sillaotsa farmstead,

Ruudiküla Ruudiküla is a village in Viljandi Parish, Viljandi County in Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finlan ...

village, Viljandi Parish (now

Viiratsi Parish Viiratsi Parish ( et, Viiratsi vald) was a rural municipality of Estonia, in Viljandi County. After the municipal elections held on 20 October 2013, Viiratsi Parish was merged with Paistu, Pärsti and Saarepeedi parishes to form a new Viljand ...

Viljandi County Viljandi County ( et, Viljandi maakond or ''Viljandimaa''; german: Kreis Fellin) is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is located in southern Estonia bordering Pärnu, Järva, Jõgeva, Tartu and Valga counties. History Viljandimaa, under the ...

Governorate of Livonia The Governorate of Livonia, also known as the Livonia Governorate, was a Baltic governorate of the Russian Empire, now divided between Latvia and Estonia. Geography The shape of the province is a fairly rectangular in shape, with a maximum ...

. Before World War I, Irv worked as a teacher. During the

, he served in the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army (russian: Ру́сская импера́торская а́рмия, tr. ) was the armed land force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian Ar ...

. He showed his good leading abilities and courage which led him to be decorated with all four classes of the

Cross of St. George The Cross of Saint George (russian: Георгиевский крест, Georgiyevskiy krest) is a state decoration of the Russian Federation. It was initially established by Imperial Russia where it was officially known as the Decoration of ...

(the set of a "Full Cavalier"), the

Médaille militaire The ''Médaille militaire'' ( en, Military Medal) is a military decoration of the French Republic for other ranks for meritorious service and acts of bravery in action against an enemy force. It is the third highest award of the French Republic, ...

and the

Gold Sword for Bravery The Gold Sword for Bravery (russian: Золотое оружие "За храбрость") was a Russian award for bravery. It was set up with two grades on 27 July 1720 by Peter the Great, reclassified as a public order in 1807 and abolished ...

. In 1915 Irv was promoted to

commissioned officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent context ...

. In the end of 1917 he came to

, and helped to organize the Estonian military forces in order to fight against the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

in the

. Irv helped to organize the Division of Armoured Trains and became a commander of that unit in 23 January 1919. After rushing the

out of the Estonian territory in 1919, Estonian Southern front moved into the territory of

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

and helped also to liberate the North of

of the units of the

. Irv was leading his unit in the battle near the railway station of Egle (near Strenči) in 27 April 1919, when he was suddenly killed.

Decorations

Russian Empire *

– I, II, III, IV class *

Order of St. Anna The Imperial Order of Saint Anna (russian: Орден Святой Анны; also "Order of Saint Anne" or "Order of Saint Ann") was a Holstein ducal and then Russian imperial order of chivalry. It was established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holst ...

– III class with swords *

Order of St. Stanislaus The Order of Saint Stanislaus ( pl, Order Św. Stanisława Biskupa Męczennika, russian: Орден Святого Станислава), also spelled Stanislas, was a Polish order of knighthood founded in 1765 by King Stanisław August Ponia ...

– II, III class *

French Republic *

Republic of Estonia * Estonian Cross of Liberty VR I/2 for Military Leadership – 2. class (posthumously) * Estonian Cross of Liberty VR II/2 for Personal Courage – 2. class (posthumously) * Estonian Cross of Liberty VR II/3 for Personal Courage – 3. class (posthumously)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Irv, Anton 1886 births 1919 deaths People from Viljandi Parish People from Kreis Fellin Russian military personnel of World War I Estonian military personnel of the Estonian War of Independence Recipients of the Order of St. George of the First Degree Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Second Degree Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Third Degree Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 3rd class Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th class Recipients of the Gold Sword for Bravery Recipients of the Cross of Liberty (Estonia)