Senior Colonel Per Hjalmar Ludvig Carleson (11 July 1917 – 8 June 2004) was a Swedish officer and

épée The ( or , ), sometimes spelled epee in English, is the largest and heaviest of the three weapons used in the sport of fencing. The modern derives from the 19th-century , a weapon which itself derives from the French small sword. This contain ...

fencer. Carleson was one of the founders of the Swedish Coastal Rangers.

Early life

Carleson was born on 11 July 1917 in Stockholm, Sweden, the son of captain Waldemar Carleson and his wife Gunnila (née Unge). He grew up in Stockholm with four brothers. Early attention was paid to his great interest and aptitude for swimming. During high school years at Högre latinläroverket å Norrmalm, he became Swedish champion and record holder in the 100 m backstroke. He attended

Norra Latin Norra Latin is the familiar Swedish name of a historic Stockholm school more properly known as ''Högre allmänna läroverket för gossar å Norrmalm'' ("public senior secondary school for boys at Norrmalm"). Completed in 1880, for over a hun ...

in Stockholm where he was chairman of the sports association (''Norra Latins Idrottsförening'', NLIF) between 1935 and 1936. Carleson passed ''

studentexamen Studentexamen (Swedish for "students' examination" or "students' degree"), earlier also ''mogenhetsexamen'' ("maturity examination") was the name of the university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and r ...

'' at Norra Latin in 1937, after which he studied at

Stockholm University College Stockholm University ( sv, Stockholms universitet) is a public research university in Stockholm, Sweden, founded as a college in 1878, with university status since 1960. With over 33,000 students at four different faculties: law, humanities, soci ...

. He was adopted as a reserve cadet in the Swedish Coastal Artillery in 1939, and studied the same year at the

Royal Swedish Naval Academy The Royal Swedish Naval Academy ( sv, Kungliga Sjökrigsskolan, KSS) was a school for officer training for the Swedish Navy, which operated in various forms between the years 1756 and 1987. History 1683–1791 In 1683, when the charter was issue ...

, after which he was appointed second lieutenant in the Swedish Coastal Artillery's reserve in 1940.

Career

Military career

Carleson took the officer course at the

from 1940 to 1941, after which he graduated as an officer in 1941 and the same year was commissioned as an officer and appointed second lieutenant and was assigned to

Vaxholm Coastal Artillery Regiment The Vaxholm Coastal Artillery Regiment ( sv, Vaxholms kustartilleriregemente), designation KA 1, was a Swedish Navy coastal artillery regiment of the Swedish Armed Forces which operated between 1902 and 2000. The unit was based at Rindö in the ...

(KA 1) where he immediately started serving in a unit in the outermost coastline. Carleson was promoted to lieutenant in 1942. Later he became commander of a training company in

Vaxholm Vaxholm is a locality and the seat of Vaxholm Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden. It is located on the island of in the Stockholm archipelago. The name Vaxholm comes from Vaxholm Castle, which was constructed in 1549 on an islet with this nam ...

. After graduation from the Swedish Army Physical Training School (''Arméns gymnastik- och idrottsskola''), he was placed as a cadet and sports officer at the Royal Swedish Naval Academy. Carleson attended the Royal Swedish Naval Staff College from 1944 to 1946, and was then promoted to captain in 1947 and then the staff and artillery course at the Royal Swedish Naval Staff College from 1947 to 1949. Carleson served in the Naval Staff from 1949 to 1953, in the Vaxholm Coastal Artillery Regiment from 1953 to 1954, in the Military Office of the Minister of Defence from 1954 to 1956 and again in the Vaxholm Coastal Artillery Regiment from 1956 to 1957. He was involved in studies and planning for the creation of mobile ground combat forces in an archipelago environment and was given the opportunity to follow the education at a French amphibious school in

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

and then undergo combat diver training in the Swedish Navy. As a result of an amphibious investigation, appointed by Sweden's Supreme Commander and boat investigations in the Naval Staff, the Chief of the Navy was commissioned by the Supreme Commander to carry out experimental training of mobile ground combat units in the archipelago. It was natural that the Coastal Artillery Inspector appointed the then captain Carleson to prepare and conduct this activity in 1956. He thus became the founder and first head of the Coastal Ranger School (1956–1957). Carleson's ideal instructor was, with his own words "skilful in hand-to-hand combat, skilled navigator of

the archipelago The Archipelago is a township in central Ontario, Canada, along the Georgian Bay in the Parry Sound District. The municipality consists of two non-contiguous parts, separated by Carling and the Parry Sound. The northern part includes the villa ...

, good at orienteering, preferably a combat diver, knowledgeable signaller and artillery observer, and also strong, durable and provided with good judgment". Carleson was promoted to major in 1957 and served in the Defence Staff from 1957 to 1962. In 1962 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and appointed chief of staff of the Norrland Coastal Artillery Defence (''Norrlands kustartilleriförsvar'', NK). In 1964, Carleson was promoted to colonel and appointed chief of Section 2 in the Naval Staff. Carleson was promoted to senior colonel in 1969 and was appointed commanding officer of the Gothenburg and Bohus Defence District as well as Halland Defence District (Fo 31/32) as well as commander of

Gothenburg Coastal Artillery Defence Gothenburg Coastal Artillery Defence ( sv, Göteborgs kustartilleriförsvar, GbK) was a unit of the Swedish Coastal Artillery which operated from 1942 to 1980. The staff was located in the Gothenburg Garrison in Gothenburg, Sweden. The Gothenbu ...

(GbK). He held this position until 1977.

Sports career

Carleson competed at the 1948, 1952 and 1956 Olympics and won two team medals, in 1948 and 1952. He was a Swedish Olympic flag bearer at the 1948 and 1956 Games. Carleson started as a

backstroke Backstroke or back crawl is one of the four swimming styles used in competitive events regulated by FINA, and the only one of these styles swum on the back. This swimming style has the advantage of easy breathing, but the disadvantage of swimm ...

swimmer, and in the late 1930s held a national record and was a national champion over 100 m. Besides his Olympic achievements, he won three silver and three bronze medals at the world championships between 1947 and 1954.

Later life

He became president of Majorna's Rotary club in Gothenburg and governor of the district and Swedish representative in the international law council. For his efforts, he received the Paul P. Harris Fellow recognition and became honorary member of his own Rotary club. During his last year of life, he received an award that greatly pleased him. The voluntary education organization ''Förbundet Kustjägarna'' ("Coastal Ranger Association"), which was formed in 2003, handed over its newly established gold medal with number 1 to Carleson.

Personal life

In 1952, he married Karin Stenbeck (born 1906), the daughter of Magnus Ekstedt and Anna (née Hörman).

Death

Carleson died on 8 June 2004 in Gothenburg. He was interred on 20 July 2004 at the Western Cemetery in Gothenburg.

Dates of rank

*1940 – Second lieutenant *1942 –

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 ...

*1947 – Captain *1957 – Major *1962 – Lieutenant colonel *1964 –

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 o ...

*1969 – Senior colonel

Awards and decorations

Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_1st_Class_BAR

Commander 1st Class of the

Order of the Sword The Royal Order of the Sword (officially: ''Royal Order of the Sword''; Swedish: ''Kungliga Svärdsorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry and military decoration created by King Frederick I of Sweden on February 23, 1748, together with the ...

(5 June 1971) * Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_BAR

Commander of the

(6 June 1968) * Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Knight_1st_Class_BAR

Knight 1st Class of the

(1959) *

Coastal Ranger Association Medal of Merit in gold (''Förbundet Kustjägarnas förtjänstmedalj i guld'') (2003) * Swedish Fencing Federation's Medal of Merit and Elite Badge

Honours

*Member of the

Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences The Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences ( sv, Kungliga Örlogsmannasällskapet, KÖMS), founded in 1771 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden. The Society is an independent organization and a forum for navy and defence i ...

(1966)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Carleson, Per 1917 births 2004 deaths Swedish colonels Swedish Coastal Artillery officers Military personnel from Stockholm Sportspeople from Stockholm Swedish male épée fencers Olympic fencers of Sweden Fencers at the 1948 Summer Olympics Fencers at the 1952 Summer Olympics Fencers at the 1956 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medalists for Sweden Olympic bronze medalists for Sweden Olympic medalists in fencing Medalists at the 1948 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1952 Summer Olympics Members of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences Commanders First Class of the Order of the Sword