Carl-Axel Oscar Torén (8 March 1887 – 21 October 1961) was a

Swedish Army The Swedish Army () is the army, land force of the Swedish Armed Forces of the Kingdom of Sweden. Beginning with its service in 1521, the Swedish Army has been active for more than 500 years. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1 ...

officer and

horse rider The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million ...

who competed in the

1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad () and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, between 6 July and 22 July 1912. The opening ceremony was he ...

. He finished 13th in the individual jumping event with his horse ''Falken''.

Early life

Torén was born on 8 March 1887 in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, Sweden, the son of major general Gabriel Torén (1858–1919) and his wife Mary Hummel. He first trained in sprint running, but then changed to horse riding, as his father was an equestrian official and organizer of equestrian events at the 1912 Olympics. He became Swedish champion in running 400 meters in 1906. He broke the Scandinavian record in the same in 1906. Torén had four brothers. One of them, Helge (1891–1954), competed internationally in middle-distance running and held a national record over 800 m.

Career

Torén was commissioned as an officer with the rank of ''

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 19 ...

'' in the

Life Regiment Hussars The Life Regiment Hussars (; designated K 3) is one of the world's oldest regiments still active. The regiment descends directly from units set up by King Gustav I of Sweden (Gustav Vasa) in 1536, when Sweden set up a draft of horses and ...

in 1910. He attended the

Royal Swedish Army Staff College The Royal Swedish Army Staff College (, 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 advanced training for officers ...

from 1916 to 1918 and then served as an aspirant 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 rank, enlisted, and civilian staff who serve the commanding officer, commander of a ...

from 1919 to 1920 and from 1922 to 1923. Torén was promoted to ''

ryttmästare ''Ryttmästare'' (from the German word ''Rittmeister'') was a military rank in the Swedish cavalry in the Swedish Army. The rank corresponded to the rank of captain in other service branches. The rank was abolished in 1972. History The military ...

'' in 1925 and was a cadet officer at the

Military Academy Karlberg Military Academy Karlberg (, MHS K) is a Swedish military academy, since its inauguration in 1792 in operation in the Karlberg Palace in Solna, just north of central Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urb ...

from 1925 to 1929. He was promoted to major, served in

Norrland Dragoon Regiment The Norrland Dragoon Regiment (), also K 4, is a Swedish Army unit specialized in arctic warfare and special operations. Located in the province of Lapland, Sweden, Lappland, it was historically a cavalry unit that traces its origins back to the ...

in 1934, and was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1937. Torén then served as a military attache in

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

and in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

from 1937 to 1940. In 1939, he was promoted to colonel and in 1940 to colonel in the reserve. He was appointed executive officer of the Life Regiment of Horse in 1940. Torén became head of the administrative corps of the Swedish Cavalry in 1943. Torén was also a board member of the Sv. bot. förening, ''Föreningen för dendrologi och parkvård'' ("Association for Dendrology and Park Care"), chairman of the board of ''Föreningen Gamla djursholmare'' ("Association for former people from

Djursholm Djursholm () is one of four suburban districts in, and the seat of Danderyd Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden. Djursholm is included in the multi-municipal Stockholm urban area. Djursholm is divided into a number of different areas: Djursho ...

"), in the Friends of the Life Regiment of Horse Association, in ''Saltsjöbadens villaägarförening'' ("

Saltsjöbaden Saltsjöbaden is a locality in Nacka Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 9,491 inhabitants in 2010. It is on the Baltic Sea coast, deep in the Stockholm Archipelago. History Saltsjöbaden () was developed as a resort by Knut Agathon W ...

Homeowners' Association") and in the Saltsjöbaden Parent Teacher Association (''Föreningen Hem och skola i Saltsjöbaden'').

Personal life

In 1919, Torén married Lilly Nordenson (1896–1940), the daughter of Erik Nordenson and Bertha Kleman. With Lilly, he had the children Carola (born 1920), Anne-Marie (1922–1931), Hans-Gabriel (born 1925), Harriet (born 1928) and Eva (born 1931). In 1941, he married Baroness Anita Bennet (born 1904), the daughter of Baron Jacob Bennet and Anna Rosenblad. They had one child, Inga (born 1943).

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 19 ...

'' *19?? –

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

*1925 – ''

Ryttmästare ''Ryttmästare'' (from the German word ''Rittmeister'') was a military rank in the Swedish cavalry in the Swedish Army. The rank corresponded to the rank of captain in other service branches. The rank was abolished in 1972. History The military ...

'' *1934 –

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

*1937 – Lieutenant Colonel *1939 –

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...

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 23 February 1748, together with the Or ...

SWE_Order_of_Vasa_-_Knight_2nd_Class_BAR

Knight of the

Order of Vasa The Royal Order of Vasa () is a Swedish order of chivalry founded on 29 May 1772 by Gustav III, King Gustav III. It is awarded to Swedish citizens for service to state and society especially in the fields of agriculture, mining and commerce. His ...

1st Class of the

Order of the German Eagle The Order of Merit of the German Eagle () 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 following the collapse of Nazi Germany at the e ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Toren, Carl-Axel 1887 births 1961 deaths Swedish Army colonels Swedish male equestrians Swedish show jumping riders Olympic equestrians for Sweden Equestrians at the 1912 Summer Olympics Military personnel from Stockholm Commanders First Class of the Order of the Sword Knights of the Order of Vasa Swedish military attachés