Russian Imperial Uniform,Caucasus,15 January 1917

[anubosir]

Hi everybody,
This is a picture of my Great-Grandfather Anton Mouratov.There is a script in the back of the photo.I don't speak russian so i had it translated.I was told that more or less it was a souvenir from Caucasus in January,15,1917.So,i guess he served the Russo-Turkish War 1914-1918.
The photo is quite well-worn.I think i can see the number 04 on the shoulder board,guess its refering to his regiment.With a closer look that 04, could easily be a 114.If it is 114 things are easier.After a small research i made, it seems that the only unit of the Russian Emperial Army with that number was the 20th Army Corps,29th Infantry Division,1st Brigade,114th Novotorzhskii Infantry Regiment.
Could that make sense to you?Can anybody confirm that, in connection with the uniform?
Also i can not identify if there are any stripes on the shoulder boards.Instead of stripes someone can assume that there is an insignia close to the one of a modern Air Commodore of the British Royal Air Force.In the Greek Air Force i serve(we have the same rank with British)we call that insignia a plate.Could such an insignia existed in the Russian Emperial Army?And if so what was the rank?
Those medals mean he was an officer?Also i hope for a better translation of the script.
i would be most greatful if someone answer me to any of these questions.If none of the above theories is right,could someone tell me if that uniform belonged to Infantry,Cavalry,Rifle or what else.I need a small clue to continue my research.
And my utmost dream.Is there any way i can see his name written down in some archives?For example,for those who served in Caucasus.Is there any department that keeps such files?

Thank you and please help me.

For higher resolution:
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[Art]

The quality of the photo is not the best, but it looks that this man has large transverese stripes on his shoulder boards. That means that he was a senior noncomissioned officer (feldwebel). See the picture No.5 here:
http://radikal.ru/F/s11.radikal.ru/i183 ... 15ae69.gif.
The medal on his left is undoubtedly a St.George medal.
http://pohodd.ru/images/product_images/ ... /298_0.jpg
It looks bright, most probably gold. I guess it is a 2nd rank medal. Another medal is a more serious puzzle. Looks like another version of the same medal, but the ribbon is uniform and doesn't show a characteristic black&yellow stripes pattern. Yet probably it is simply in the shaddow or illuminated from an unfavourable angle. In this case it could be a St. George medal, 4th rank.
The text on the backside reads "In memory of January 1917. Caucasian [??] Army. Anton Mouratov. 15/1"
As concerns archives the relevant records must be in the Russian State Military Historical Archive in Moscow (RGVIA). I don't think that the personnel can find a man who wasn't an officer there. Yet the archive contains the files of the 114 Infantry Regiment. Theoretically speaking they can include rosters or other documents with names of regimental personnel. Most probably they would offer you to do youself a tiresome and time-consuming work of searching for your great grandfather in those documents. Anyway you can contact them via email from the page linked above.

[anubosir]

Thanks for replying Art.It was a great help.

[anubosir]

Hi again,
All this time I 'm searching for my great grandfather's regiment,I was convinced it was the 114th Reserve Infantry Division.I have send a request to RGVIA and I was told I will have an answer till the end of January.
Today I got a mail telling me that in reserve regiments,the soldier's epaulets except from the number it was necessary to have the letter"3"(spare).Is it truth?Because if it is all my research was for nothing

[Art]

Not that I'm an expert in these things but here is for example the photo of the NCO (feldwebel) of the 107 Replacement (or Reserve if you want) Infantry Regiment:
http://www.bergenschild.narod.ru/Recons ... hoto03.jpg
One can see the number "107" on the shoulder boards but no "з" letter.
Another photo of soldiers of the same unit:
http://www.bergenschild.narod.ru/Recons ... hoto02.jpg
Private second from the left in the upper row has "107" but no letters. Note that one officer and most other ranks have no code on their boards at all.
The text of the article where I found these photos says that privates had code on their shoulder boards in rare cases only, non-commissioned officers always had them but frequently didn't add letters designating replacement units.
http://www.bergenschild.narod.ru/public ... /index.htm
As a matter of fact the absense of the "з" letter doesn't prove anything. I think it's worth to go on with the version of 114 Replacement Regiment.

[anubosir]

Thank you Art.For one more time you were very helpful.

[anubosir]

A Russian mate who says he has a degree in history of Russian army of WWI,analyzing the medals made some very interesting observations.I copy-paste it for you in case you are interested.

"Medals are: the second is "Due diligence" (Za userdie) with ribbon of St.Stanislaus order, and the first is the same one but with ribbon of St. Anna order.
Person at photo is distinguished sergeant (Unteroffizier) training young soldiers at reserve batallion. He was at Army service until 1913 (there is no medal of Romanovs' 300 years jubilee, which was at 1913, that means he was retired already). When WWI beginned, he was mobilised to reserve regiment for training new recruits, and spent there all the war (there is no battle honors on his chest)."