door This article is only tangentially related to philately. However, it may be of interest to collectors specialising in the First World War or censorship.
Konstantin Petrovich Van-der-Vliet (Константин Петрович Фан-дер-Флит, 1844–1933) was a Russian general of Dutch descent.
In the first half of the 18th century, the merchant Van der Vliet moved from Haarlem to Arkhangelsk. The family later relocated to St Petersburg, and several family members served in the Tsar’s army.
‘Our’ Van der Vliet had a long career in the armed forces. He enlisted in 1863 and completed his training at the Moscow Cadet Corps in 1864. He held the rank of colonel during the Russo-Turkish War (1877–78), and also took part in the Russo-Japanese War (1904–05).
In 1913, he was appointed Assistant to the Commander-in-Chief of the Guards and the Military Districts of St Petersburg. From 19 July 1914 to 21 June 1915, he served as the Commander-in-Chief of the 6th Army. This army was not attached to the main fronts and held the status of an independent force; its task was to defend St Petersburg (Petrograd) and the Baltic coast in the event of an enemy landing.
Finland also fell under its jurisdiction. There is a photograph known from 1915 at the Helsinki Railway Station.
As Commander-in-Chief, and General of the Artillery, he issued a daily order on 15 February 1915 (28 February in the Gregorian calendar):
“By virtue of Article 12 of the Statute of Territories at War, I hereby order the establishment of Finnish border security. The border security must be operational by 20 February.”
