Sweden Swedish Medal Bar

[kimj]

Here is the latest addition to my Swedish collection. An unusually big medal bar to an officer at Royal Svea Life Guards, lieutenant colonel C.H. Livijn. He had his military career from his commission in 1943 to early 70-ties. Most of his (remaining) awards are from 60-70-ties. Unfortunately the bar is missing three awards. They were probably sold for a better profit as singles. But the ?important? awards, those with his name engraved, are all present. Sometime later on I will hunt down the missing ones and restore the bar.

Here's a pic of the bar. Notice the modifications on it: Third medal squeezed in afterwards. Last medals are also added later (in the wrong order). Both UN medals are in fact UNEF1 medals... I guess you do the best with what you have.

Enjoy!

[Guest Rick Research]

Could it be that some Orders were removed after his death and returned to your Orders Chancery (or whatever it is called there)?

Please tell us what all these are and show the reverses. :cheers:

[Ed_Haynes]

This is a LOVELY bar. Thanks for sharing it!

[Great Dane]

Very, very nice

I know that Sweden has a tradition to issue even less 'important' medals in real (hallmarked) gold instead of silvergilt. Any real gold medals on this one?

/Mike

[kimj]

Thanks for the nice words gentlemen!

Only the first order was one that should have been sent back, order of the Sword. The other two wasn't. So I think it got cut up for economical reasons. But who knows.

Sorry, no real gold medals on this one. But that's not a bad thing. It kept the price relativly low.

Here are the names, first in Swedish then in English. The English translation are from a recent book on swedish military decorations.

Riddare av Sv?rdsorden (borta vid k?p)

Riddare av Etiopiska Menelik II:s orden (borta vid k?p)

Sveriges milit?ridrotts- och m?ngkampf?rbunds f?rtj?nstmedalj i silver

Riksf?rbundet Sveriges lottak?rers kungl. f?rtj?nstmedalj i silver

Centralf?rbundets f?r bef?lsutbildning f?rtj?nstmedalj i silver

Stockholms f?rsvarskommitt?s f?rtj?nstmedalj i guld

Stockholms f?rsvarskommitt?s f?rtj?nstmedalj i silver

Centralf?rbundets f?r bef?lsutbildning f?rtj?nsttecken (medalj borta vid k?p)

Riksf?rbundet Sveriges Lottak?rers f?rtj?nstmedalj i silver

Hemv?rnets silvermedalj

Bef?lsutbildningsf?rbunds f?rtj?nstmedalj

Sveriges kvinnliga bilk?rers riksf?rbunds f?rtj?nstmedalj

F?renta Nationernas ?vervakningsstyrkas medalj i brons (FNMUNEF)

F?renta Nationernas medalj i brons (FNMUNTSO) (fel medalj, en UNEF1 med fel band)

Stockholms Luftv?rnsf?renings f?rtj?nstmedalj

Frivilliga Radioorganisationens f?rtj?nstmedalj

Frivilliga Automobilk?rernas Riksf?rbunds f?rtj?nsttecken

***

Knight of the order of the sword

Knight of the order of Menelik II, Ethiopia

Swedish Military Sport Association medal of merit

The National League of Swedish Lotta Corps medal of merit in silver

Central Union for Officers Training medal of merit in silver

Stockholm Defence committee medal of merit in gold

Stockholm Defence committee medal of merit in silver

Central Union for Officers Training badge of merit in gold

National League of Swedish Lotta Corps medal of merit in silver

Home Guard silver medal

Officers Training Association medal of merit in gold

Swedish National League of Women Auxiliary Motor Corps medal of merit in gold

UNEF 1 medal

UNTSO medal, with wrong medal

Stockholm Air Defence Association medal of merit

Voluntary Radio Association medal of merit in gold

Voluntary Automobile Corps badge of merit

I think Livijn was involved with the training of the Ethiopian guards. But I didn't find any reference of him acctually going to Ethiopia. I will dig out his file from the military archive when I have the time for it.

One interesting thing is that Livijn was at the UN HQ in Kairo from october 1966 - july 1967. So I suppose he had some busy days when the Six-Day War kicked off.

/Kim

[Ulsterman]

The Order of Menelik was a rather senior and beautiful award. It's terrible that it's been lost. happily, I still see them about 3-4 times a year.

The Swedes had a strong training cadre at the military and police academies up until the revolution by the Derg in 1974. Thereafter they were replaced, after the Emperor was beaten to death, by GDR and Soviet trainers.

[kimj]

The Swedish army officers disappeared from Ethiopia in 1964. The reasons for leaving I have read about are general unrest in the country and increasing tension with Somalia. The Air force training stopped in 1960. The police I don't know.

I have high hopes finding a Menelik here in Sweden. Last militaria auction even had a commander neck cross. So a knight is bound to show up.

/Kim

[censlenov]

There's several Knights floating around on dealers lists at the moment priced at around $200cdn.

Cheers

Chris

[Ulsterman]

<!--quoteo(post=285836:date=Aug 15 2008, 12:06 :name=kimj)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (kimj @ Aug 15 2008, 12:06 ) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=285836"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->The Swedish army officers disappeared from Ethiopia in 1964. The reasons for leaving I have read about are general unrest in the country and increasing tension with Somalia. The Air force training stopped in 1960. The police I don't know.

I have high hopes finding a Menelik here in Sweden. Last militaria auction even had a commander neck cross. So a knight is bound to show up.

/Kim<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Perhaps officially, but I have a book on the Derg Revolution that mentions that there were about 20 Swedish officers in Ethiopia in the early 1970s teaching courses. perhaps they were private contractors?

[Ed_Haynes]

Would he have worn the Ethiopian award (foreign) at the first of his group? I don't know much (well, ANYTHING) about Swedish regulations.

This is a nice group that gets nicer with the telling of the history behind it.

[Ulsterman]

:off topic:

By the way Ed:

1. How's the OMSA convention?

and

2. LOVED the JOMSA article!! :jumping:

[Ed_Haynes]

Thanks for the questions.

By the way Ed:

1. How's the OMSA convention?

I sooooo wish I were there. Not this year. Time, money, money, money. Next year, I hope. Have EJ selling The Book however. Just had to FedEx more to him.

and

2. LOVED the JOMSA article!!

Thanks. More are in the pipeline.

[ilja559]

Kim,You can find Menelik order here-

Arsenalsgatan 6,Stockholm

[kimj]

Perhaps officially, but I have a book on the Derg Revolution that mentions that there were about 20 Swedish officers in Ethiopia in the early 1970s teaching courses. perhaps they were private contractors?

They could perhaps been private. But I read that Danish and Norwegians also served from the 60-ties. Maybe the author couldn't tell his Scandinavians apart.

Would he have worn the Ethiopian award (foreign) at the first of his group? I don't know much (well, ANYTHING) about Swedish regulations.

He should have had the Ethiopian order at the end of his bar according to regulation. But there's only room for two ribbons in the beginning. I have some hopes of finding a photo of him wearing this bar in the archives. Then I'll know for sure how he wore it. Maybe he got some so far unknown medal/order that was next to his order of the Sword and kept his Menelik in his shoe box... It's a bit of a mystery.

Arsenalsgatan 6,Stockholm

They have a nice selection. But tend to double their prices from the auctions they buy the awards from. I'll wait for the next auction.

/Kim

[kimj]

I just wanted to show the updated bar of Clas Livijn. Progress has been slow since I got it. The reason for this is mainly because research show that lieutenant colonel Livijn's orders/medals aren't what I assumed them to be. He did have the Ethiopian Menelik II but it was probably never mounted on the bar. The awards that were missing were: Order of the Sword (knight), Nit och Redlighet medal (For Zealous and Devoted Service) and Central Union for Officers Training badge of merit. The problem is that the Zealous and Devoted Service medals are all engraved with names of the recipients. Which means that I need to find his specific medal. But who knows where that medal is hiding. It could have been melted down for the gold... The result of this was that the the bar went to the bottom of Swedish shoebox no.2 (according to my archive system )to wait for a future reunite with lost awards. Some day....

Anyway this is a pic of what the bar looks like today. I don't have any Order of the Sword yet so the first one is actually the second medal on the bar. I didn't have any gold Zealous and Devoted... medals either, so it's a silver-stand in for the real one. All Z and D after 1947 were gold. The suspension and ribbon are the same for old and current issue medals. Can you spot the other new one...

The medal part of this group is now resting/on stand by but the research is going strong. I haven't been to the central archives yet but plan to go soon. For the moment I keep busy with books connected to Livijns service, mainly UN. From one about the second Swedish UN battalion I got his pic.

/Kim

[Great Dane]

Hi Kim,

Very nice indeed

At least you know that WHEN you find his named medal, you won't be 'dressing up' the bar but actually restore it.

/Michael

[kimj]

Thanks Michael. I just hope the When isn't too far away.

/Kim

[Mopsi]

I just wanted to show the updated bar of Clas Livijn. Progress has been slow since I got it. The reason for this is mainly because research show that lieutenant colonel Livijn's orders/medals aren't what I assumed them to be. He did have the Ethiopian Menelik II but it was probably never mounted on the bar. The awards that were missing were: Order of the Sword (knight), Nit och Redlighet medal (For Zealous and Devoted Service) and Central Union for Officers Training badge of merit. The problem is that the Zealous and Devoted Service medals are all engraved with names of the recipients. Which means that I need to find his specific medal. But who knows where that medal is hiding. It could have been melted down for the gold... The result of this was that the the bar went to the bottom of Swedish shoebox no.2 (according to my archive system )to wait for a future reunite with lost awards. Some day....

Anyway this is a pic of what the bar looks like today. I don't have any Order of the Sword yet so the first one is actually the second medal on the bar. I didn't have any gold Zealous and Devoted... medals either, so it's a silver-stand in for the real one. All Z and D after 1947 were gold. The suspension and ribbon are the same for old and current issue medals. Can you spot the other new one...

The medal part of this group is now resting/on stand by but the research is going strong. I haven't been to the central archives yet but plan to go soon. For the moment I keep busy with books connected to Livijns service, mainly UN. From one about the second Swedish UN battalion I got his pic.

/Kim

LtCol Clas Livijn. I knew him quite well. He was a short time my CO in 1960. Born 17/8 1919, 2Lt 1/10 1943 and LtCol 2/7 1972. I think he got the Menelik II as commander of the honour company when Halie Selassie visited Sweden in 1956.

Mopsi

[Herman]

Any news or update on this medal group?

 

Regards 

Herman 

[Paul R]

I’m very interested as well. 

[1812 Overture]

It's been 11 years, and the poster came here for the last time in 2017. .