Åke Karl Wilhelm Hök (17 June 1889 – 2 May 1963) was a

Swedish Army The Swedish Army ( sv, svenska armén) is the land force of the Swedish Armed Forces. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1521, when the men of Dalarna chose 16 young able men as body guards for the insurgent nobleman Gustav Vas ...

officer and

horse rider Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding (Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the ...

. He competed in the

1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad ( sv, Den V olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, be ...

and finished 22nd in the individual jumping event on the horse ''Mona''.

Early life

Hök was born on 17 June 1889 in

Järlåsa Järlåsa is a locality situated in Uppsala Municipality, Uppsala County, Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of Swe ...

, Uppsala County, the son of lieutenant colonel Carl Hök and his wife Hilma Smitt. He passed '' mogenhetsexamen'' in

Västerås Västerås ( , , ) is a city in central Sweden on the shore of Mälaren, Lake Mälaren in the province of Västmanland, west of Stockholm. The city had a population of 127,799 at the end of 2019, out of the municipal total of 154,049. Västerås ...

in 1908.

Career

Hök was commissioned as an officer in 1910 and was assigned as an ''

underlöjtnant ''Underlöjtnant'' (from the German word ''Unterleutnant'') was the lowest officer rank in the Swedish Army from 1835 to 1937 instead of the previous ranks of ''fänrik'' and cornet. was reintroduced in 1914 with the same position as , from 1926 ...

'' in the Scanian Dragoon Regiment where he was promoted to lieutenant in 1912. He attended the

Royal Swedish Army Staff College The Royal Swedish Army Staff College ( sv, Kungliga Krigshögskolan, KHS) was a Swedish Army training establishment between 1866 and 1961, providing courses for army officers. It was the home of the Swedish Army's staff college, which provided adv ...

from 1917 to 1919 and was captain of the

General Staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military un ...

in 1923. Hök served in the

Military Office of the Land Defence The Military Office of the Land Defence ( sv, Lantförsvarets kommandoexpedition), from 1840 to 1922 called the Military Office of the Ministry of Land Defence ( sv, Lantförsvarsdepartementets kommandoexpedition), was an office in the Royal Chance ...

and in the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed For ...

in 1927. He became '' ryttmästare'' in the Life Regiment of Horse in 1928. Hök served as an expert in the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

in 1928, 1931 and 1936. He was chief of staff of the Cavalry Inspectorate (''Kavalleriinspektionen'') from 1932 to 1935 and in 1933 he became major of the General Staff. Hök was promoted to lieutenant colonel and assigned to Scanian Cavalry Regiment (''Skånska kavalleriregementet'') in 1936 where he became colonel and commanding officer in 1937. He was then appointed executive commander of the Life Regiment Hussars in 1942 and served as acting Inspector of the Local Defence within the III Military District from 1943 to 1944. Hök was commanding officer of the Scanian Cavalry Regiment from 1946.

Personal life

In 1920, Hök married Hattie Pauli. They had three children: Hans (born 1921), Margareta (born 1926) and Lenore (born 1935).

Dates of rank

*1910 – ''

Underlöjtnant ''Underlöjtnant'' (from the German word ''Unterleutnant'') was the lowest officer rank in the Swedish Army from 1835 to 1937 instead of the previous ranks of ''fänrik'' and cornet. was reintroduced in 1914 with the same position as , from 1926 ...

'' *1912 –

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

*1923 –

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 ...

*1928 – '' Ryttmästare'' *1933 –

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

*1936 –

Lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

*1937 –

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Awards and decaorations

Hök's awards:

Swedish

Royal Order of the Sword - Commander 1st Class BAR

Commander 1st Class of the Order of the Sword * SWE Order of Vasa - Knight 2nd Class BAR

Knight of the Order of Vasa

Foreign

Officer of the

Order of the Crown of Italy The Order of the Crown of Italy ( it, Ordine della Corona d'Italia, italic=no or OCI) was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate the unification of Italy in 1861. It was awarded in five degrees for civi ...

LVA Order of the Three Stars - Commander BAR

Officer of the

Order of the Three Stars Order of the Three Stars ( lv, Triju Zvaigžņu ordenis) is the highest civilian order awarded for meritorious service to Latvia. It was established in 1924 in remembrance of the founding of Latvia. Its motto is "Per aspera ad astra", meaning "Thr ...

Knight of the

Order of Leopold Order of Leopold may refer to: * Order of Leopold (Austria), founded in 1808 by emperor Francis I of Austria and discontinued in 1918 * Order of Leopold (Belgium), founded in 1832 by king Leopold I of Belgium * Order of Leopold II, founded in Congo ...

FIN Order of the White Rose Knight 1st Class BAR

Knight 1st Class of the Order of the White Rose of Finland * Legion Honneur Chevalier ribbon

Knight of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

ESP Cruz Merito Militar (Distintivo Blanco) pasador

Cross of Military Merit The Cross of Military Merit ( es, Cruces del Mérito Militar) is Spain's military awards for gallantry or merit in war or peace. Awarded to members of the Spanish Armed Forces, Guardia Civil or civilians. History and attribution Established o ...

with White Decoration

References

1889 births 1963 deaths Swedish Army colonels Swedish male equestrians Swedish show jumping riders Olympic equestrians of Sweden Equestrians at the 1912 Summer Olympics People from Uppsala Municipality Commanders First Class of the Order of the Sword Knights of the Order of Vasa Sportspeople from Uppsala County {{Sweden-equestrian-bio-stub