Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

John Åge Lundström (8 June 1890 – 26 September 1975) was a

Swedish Air Force The Swedish Air Force ( sv, Svenska flygvapnet or just ) is the air force branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. History The Swedish Air Force was created on 1 July, 1926 when the aircraft units of the Army and Navy were merged. Because of the es ...

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 ...

who competed in the

1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...

and

1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1924), officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIIe olympiade) and also known as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. The op ...

Early life

Lundström was born on 8 June 1890 in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

, Sweden, the son of Ernst Lundström, an artist, and his wife countess Mathilda (née Rudenschöld).

Career

Military career

Lundström was commissioned as an officer in 1910 and was appointed lieutenant in the

Life Regiment Dragoons The Life Regiment Dragoons ( sv, Livregementets dragoner), designated K 2, was a Swedish Army cavalry regiment that was active in various forms 1791–1927. The unit was based in the Stockholm Garrison in Stockholm and belonged to the King's Life ...

in 1916. He became an air force pilot in 1925 and was appointed captain in 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 1924 and captain of the

in 1926. Lundström was a teacher in air warfare at 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 ...

1926–29 and at the Royal Military Academy 1928–31. He was promoted to major in 1932, lieutenant colonel in 1936, colonel in 1937, and major general in 1945. Lundström left the military in 1947. He was the adjutant of the

Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten (Gustaf Adolf Oscar Fredrik Arthur Edmund; 22 April 1906 – 26 January 1947) was a Swedish prince, who for most of his life was second in the line of succession to the Swedish throne. He was the eldest ...

from 1929. Lundström was acting commanding officer of the 4th Air Corps in 1931–32 and commanding officer of the

Swedish Air Force Flying School Swedish Air Force Flying School ( sv, Krigsflygskolan), also F 5 Ljungbyhed, or simply F 5, is a former Swedish Air Force training wing with the main base located in Ljungbyhed in southern Sweden. History The moor at Ljungby was adopted for milit ...

1932–43 and commanding officer of the Second Air Group (''Andra flygeskadern'', E 2) 1943–46. Lundström was the chief of staff and assistant to Count Folke Bernadotte during his mediator works in

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

in 1948, and was an eyewitness to Bernadotte's assassination.

Sports career

Lundström was a Swedish champion in

foil Foil may refer to: Materials * Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine * Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal * Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food * Tin foil, metal foil ma ...

fencing in 1914, and a district champion in foil 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 contains ...

fencing in 1933 and in foil fencing in 1938. He was adjutant and teacher at the riding school at

Strömsholm Palace Strömsholm Palace, sometimes called Strömsholm Castle ( sv, Strömsholms slott), is a Swedish royal palace. The baroque palace is built on the site of a fortress from the 1550s, located on an island in the Kolbäcksån river at the west end of ...

in 1919–1921. At the

1920 Summer Olympics The 1920 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1920; nl, Olympische Zomerspelen van 1920; german: Olympische Sommerspiele 1920), officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIe olympiade; nl, Spelen van ...

he and his horse ''Yrsa'' were part of the Swedish equestrian team, which won the gold medal in the team eventing competition. They also won the silver medal in the individual eventing. He competed in the individual jumping event with another horse, ''Eros I'', and finished 14th. At the

Lundström and his horse ''Anvers'' won the gold medal with the Swedish jumping team. In the individual jumping event they finished 10th. he died in Sweden at age 85

Personal life

Lundström was the owner of the estate Hildesborg outside

Landskrona Landskrona (old da, Landskrone) is a town in Scania, Sweden. Located on the shores of the Öresund, it occupies a natural port, which has lent the town at first military and subsequent commercial significance. Ferries operate from Landskrona t ...

. In 1932 he married Margit von Geijer (born 1907), daughter of rittmeister Wilhelm von Geijer and countess Irma von Hallwyl. He was the father of Signe (born 1934), Irma (born 1936) and Åge (born 1943).

Awards and decorations

Swedish

King Gustaf V's Jubilee Commemorative Medal (1948) * 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 Or ...

(6 June 1945) * Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_BAR

Commander 2nd Class of the

(15 November 1941) * Order of the Polar Star - Ribbon bar, pre 1975

Knight of the

Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star (Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim. The Order of the ...

(1938) *

For Zealous and Devoted Service of the Realm ribbon

Medal for Noble Deeds in gold * Swedish Military Sports Association's gold medal with wreath (''Sveriges militära idrottsförbunds guldmedalj med krans'') *

Royal Swedish Aero Club Royal Swedish Aero Club ( sv, Kungliga Svenska Aeroklubben, abbreviated KSAK, previously ''Svenska Aeronautiska Sällskapet'', abbreviated SAS), established in 1900, is today the national organization for Sweden's over 150 flying clubs and have by t ...

Medal of Merit in gold (''Kungliga Svenska Aeroklubbens förtjänstguldmedalj'')

Foreign

D-SAX Sachsen-Ernestinischer Hausorden BAR

Commander of the

Saxe-Ernestine House Order The Saxe-Ernestine House Order (german: link=yes, Sachsen-Ernestinischer Hausorden)Hausorden
Herz ...

(before 1942) * POL Polonia Restituta Komandorski BAR

Commander 2nd Class of the

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta ( pl, Order Odrodzenia Polski, en, Order of Restored Poland) is a Polish state decoration, state Order (decoration), order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on al ...

(before 1942) * DEU Deutsche Adlerorden 1 BAR

Order of the German Eagle The Order of Merit of the German Eagle (german: Verdienstorden vom Deutschen Adler) was an award of the German Nazi regime, predominantly to foreign diplomats. The Order was instituted on 1 May 1937 by Adolf Hitler. It ceased to be awarded follo ...

(before 1942) * Ufficiale OCI Kingdom BAR

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 ...

(before 1942) * BEL Militair Kruis 2klasse BAR

2nd Class of the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

(before 1942) * FIN Order of the White Rose Knight 1st Class BAR

Knight 1st Class Knight of the

Order of the White Rose of Finland The Order of the White Rose of Finland ( fi, Suomen Valkoisen Ruusun ritarikunta; sv, Finlands Vita Ros’ orden) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, and the Order of the Lion of Finland. ...

(before 1942) * 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, ...

(before 1942)

Honours

* Member of the

Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences The Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences ( sv, Kungliga Krigsvetenskapsakademien) is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden and was founded on 12 November 1796 by Gustaf Wilhelm af Tibell. The academy is an independent organization and a forum for m ...

(1937)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lundstrom, Age 1890 births 1975 deaths Swedish Air Force major generals United Nations military personnel Swedish event riders Swedish show jumping riders Olympic equestrians of Sweden Swedish male equestrians Equestrians at the 1920 Summer Olympics Equestrians at the 1924 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for Sweden Olympic silver medalists for Sweden Olympic medalists in equestrian Military personnel from Stockholm Commanders First Class of the Order of the Sword Knights of the Order of the Polar Star Commanders of the Order of Polonia Restituta Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences Medalists at the 1924 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1920 Summer Olympics