Baron Nils Gustaf Fredrik Bror "Hans" von Blixen-Finecke Jr. (20 July 1916 – 16 February 2005) 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. He competed in the three-day eventing at the

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...

and

1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, whi ...

and won individual and team gold medals in 1952.

Early life

Von Blixen-Finecke was born on 20 July 1916 in Linköping, Sweden, the son of Baron

Hans von Blixen-Finecke Baron Hans Gustaf von Blixen-Finecke (25 July 1886 – 26 September 1917) was a Swedish officer and equestrian who won a bronze medal in dressage at the 1912 Summer Olympics. He died in an aeroplane crash in 1917. Early life Von Blixen-Finecke ...

, who won an Olympic bronze in dressage in 1912, and his wife Baroness Brita Trolle. He was the nephew of Bror von Blixen-Finecke and writer

Karen Blixen Baroness Karen Christenze von Blixen-Finecke (born Dinesen; 17 April 1885 – 7 September 1962) was a Danish author who wrote works in Danish and English. She is also known under her pen names Isak Dinesen, used in English-speaking countrie ...

. He was born as Nils Gustaf Fredrik Bror, but since the age of one was called Hans after his father, who died in an airplane crash. He passed '' studentexamen'' at Sigtunaskolan Humanistiska Läroverket in 1934.

Career

von Blixen-Finecke Jr. was commissioned as an officer in 1937, serving in the Life Regiment of Horse (K 1). In 1950, he was promoted to '' ryttmästare'' in the Life Regiment Hussars (K 3) and to major in

North Scanian Infantry Regiment North Scanian Infantry Regiment ( sv, Norra skånska infanteriregementet), designation I 6, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that operated from 1812 to 1963. The unit was based in the Kristianstad Garrison in Kristianstad. In 1963 the regiment ...

(I 6) in 1957. von Blixen-Finecke served as commanding officer of the Swedish Army Riding and Horse-Driving School from 1959 to 1964. In 1964 he left the Swedish Army and moved to England, where he established his own equestrian centre in

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

before moving in the early 1970s to Cornwall.

Personal life

In 1941, he married Baroness Anna Beck-Friis (born 1921), the daughter of Baron Jochum Beck-Friis and Signe Grenander, with whom he had two children, Hans (born 1942) and Gustaf (born 1945). In 1959, he married Anne Hetherington (born 1923), the daughter of Harry Hetherington and Merriell MacMahon.

Awards and decorations

Knight of the Order of the Sword * Order_of_the_Dannebrog_R

Knight of the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known a ...

* Ryttarolympisk förtjänstguldmedalj ("Olympic Equestrian Medal of Merit in Gold") * ''Svensk ridsports guldmedalj'' ("Swedish Equestrian Sport Gold Medal") * ''Svensk ridsports hederstecken'' ("Swedish Equestrian Sport Badge of Honor")

References

External links

profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blixen-Finecke, Hans Jr. 1916 births 2005 deaths Swedish nobility Swedish event riders Olympic equestrians of Sweden Swedish male equestrians Equestrians at the 1952 Summer Olympics Equestrians at the 1956 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for Sweden Olympic medalists in equestrian Swedish Army officers Medalists at the 1952 Summer Olympics