France Swede with French (?) medal

[kimj]

I recently got this pic of a Swedish officer. The awards are a Swedish shooting badge and to the far right the Finnish medal of the White Rose. But in the middle there's an unknown (at least to me) medal. From the look of it I'm guessing that it's French. Does anyone recognize it?

/Kim

[JBFloyd]

It's a design used by most of the French Ministries for their Medals of Honor. Unfortunately, the issung agency is noted on the reverse.

[Odulf]

A bit off topic, but I want to share this unidentified Swedish officer with you. He's wearing the French Colonial Medal with the clasp for ALGERIE. Wonder how he got it?

[kimj]

Thank you Jeff! Maybe I'll get closer to who this guy is with this info. Unfortunatly the Swedish military lists only cover orders, not medals. But time will tell.

Nice pic Odulf! I think an ID of this officer shouldn't be impossible. But I'll get back when I'm a 100%.

/Kim

[kimj]

Your man is Carl Magnus Victor Rehbinder, born 1844. Here he is later in life with an Belgian Leopold order. The text says that he took part in a French campaign to Aurés in 1879. That is a area in Algeria, at least that is what wikipedia told me..

/Kim

[Ulsterman]

what era is the officer at the top? @ 1900?

Could he be Freiherr Corfitz Hans Beck-Friis of the K. Skanska Dragonregt?

[GRA]

what era is the officer at the top? @ 1900?

Could he be Freiherr Corfitz Hans Beck-Friis of the K. Skanska Dragonregt?

Well, it looks like a dragoon uniform, but isn't there three crowns only on the buttons? If I recall correctly, Kungl Skånska dragonregementet had three crowns on some sort of "sunray" under a royal crown on their buttons (and looking almost similar to the Army Service Corps button). Kungl Norrlands dragonregemente had a plain button. One of the heavy cavalry regiments in the Stockholm area such as Kungl Livgardet till häst or Kungl Livregementets dragoner probably fits the bill better, as they all had three crowns only on the buttons.

Kim, what's the story of that photo? If you have a name and if he's from Livregementets dragoner I might have some information on him.

/Jonas

[kimj]

Thank you for your reply Ulsterman. I think that the pic is taken sometime at the break 1910/1920, but no proof of that. When I croped the pic to show the medals better I lost some of the shoulderboard insignia. At the lower end there are three crowns, symbols that place him at Kungl Livregementets dragoner, K2.

Jonas, it's not much of a story. I got this pic from Tradera because I liked the medals. But I always try to put a name on the Swedish officers in my photo collection, when it's possible. There is an autograph that I think says "T.G. Lundquist". But if that is correct... who knows.

Trevlig midsommar!

/Kim

[GRA]

Hello Kim!

Sorry, no luck with T.G. Lundquist, my rolls should be accurate up to 1921, but he could very well have transfered into K2 in the early 1920's (and certainly before the amalgamation of 1928). I didn't find him listed at Kungl Livregementets husarer or Kungl Norrlands dragonregemente either (considering the transfer possibility, but my K8 information is somewhat unreliable in this case).

Trevlig midsommar!

/Jonas

[Veteran]

The French medal is probably the medal given to by the President of the French Republic to court officials when a State Visit occurs. It is sometimes known as the French President's Medal. The french name for it is : Médaille d'honneur du Ministère des Affaires étrangères.

The suspension ribbon is vertically blue/white/red each stripe equal size. It ca be awarded in bronze, silver or gilt sliver. Since 1917 a military class with swords has been availabel. Since this officer wears the simple type, it might mean the picture dated before 1917.

Hope this helps.

Veteran

[kimj]

Jonas and Veteran thank you for your input. Every piece makes the puzzle one step closer to be complete. I just wish it could be easier to find him....

/Kim

[Veteran]

Jonas and Veteran thank you for your input. Every piece makes the puzzle one step closer to be complete. I just wish it could be easier to find him....

/Kim

An additionnal thought : this young officer wears the French President's medal. Which might mean that he was part of the Swedish Court at the time of a State visit by the French President, some time before 1914 I would say.

He could have served as an aide-de-camp to one of the higher officials close to the King. His uniform probably is typical of one of the Swedish Regiments.

The question might become : which officer(s) from that Regiment were aides to Court officials or to Royalty before 1914 at a time wheb the French were close to the Swedish Court ?

King Gustav V was a great friend of France and used to reside privately in Nice in winter for many years (he was known there as Monsieur G.) This also may help.

Regards

Veteran

[GRA]

An additionnal thought : this young officer wears the French President's medal. Which might mean that he was part of the Swedish Court at the time of a State visit by the French President, some time before 1914 I would say.

He could have served as an aide-de-camp to one of the higher officials close to the King. His uniform probably is typical of one of the Swedish Regiments.

The question might become : which officer(s) from that Regiment were aides to Court officials or to Royalty before 1914 at a time wheb the French were close to the Swedish Court ?

King Gustav V was a great friend of France and used to reside privately in Nice in winter for many years (he was known there as Monsieur G.) This also may help.

Regards

Veteran

It's an interesting thought Veteran, as he most probably belongs to a regiment of the Stockholm area - geographically close enough to the king, and those units were regarded as "high-status" (=more than their fair share of nobility and royal princes among their officers compared to their counterparts "in the countryside").

What level of decoration would a French President's medal be? Is it something awarded solely to junior ranks, or is it a decoration regardless of rank (I assume orders aren't out of the question for senior ranking potentates)?

/Jonas

[Veteran]

It's an interesting thought Veteran, as he most probably belongs to a regiment of the Stockholm area - geographically close enough to the king, and those units were regarded as "high-status" (=more than their fair share of nobility and royal princes among their officers compared to their counterparts "in the countryside").

What level of decoration would a French President's medal be? Is it something awarded solely to junior ranks, or is it a decoration regardless of rank (I assume orders aren't out of the question for senior ranking potentates)?

/Jonas

A junior officer would probably receive the silver-gilt level of the Medal. Non commissionned officers would receive the silver medal and OR and corporals the bronze medal.

The same would apply to civilian court officials or servants, according to their ranks in their own hierarchy. Very seldom gold medals are known to have beeb awarded.

In those days, the only other French award available would have been an honorary membership in the Legion d'honneur, with awards ranking from chevalier for a Lieut.Colonel to Commandeur for a very high official such as the Master of Protocole.

This is, of course, a tentative approach.

Veteran

[kimj]

Thank you both for your efforts. I think I have a suspect now. The man in the photo is possibly Johan Adolf Fridolf Lindqvist, fanjunkare (sergeant major) in 1940. Holder of a French silver medal. He was made NCO in 1908. This means he could have been present at both official French state visits in 1908 and 1914.

The negative part is that I can't find that he was awarded the Finnish white rose medal...

Trying to ID him from records of those involved in state visits would be hard. If the records were kept I doubt they would be easy to find. Medal and uniform combinations are a much easier way to find.

Do you have any NCO info Jonas?

/Kim

[GRA]

Sorry Kim, but I only have officers biographic information up to 1921 ("Kungl Livregementets till häst historia I-VI", the biographic part published in 1922). I also did a quick check of "K1 1928-2000 I-II", but nothing there either.

/Jonas

[CUSSONNEAU]

Hello,

Herewith the medal awarded at the occasion of the presidential visit July - August 1908 in Scandinavia, with the conference between Nicolas II and French president Armand Fallières at Reval, July 27^th 1908.

Such medals with struck dates are documented for : ''Août 1897'' ; ''Mai 1902'' ; ''Avril 1904'' ; ''Octobre 1905'' ; ''1908'' and 1909.

I have yet never seen a medal struck ''1914''

Regards

Cussonneau

[Odulf]

Your man is Carl Magnus Victor Rehbinder, born 1844. Here he is later in life with an Belgian Leopold order. The text says that he took part in a French campaign to Aurés in 1879. That is a area in Algeria, at least that is what wikipedia told me..

/Kim

A bit late perhaps, but THANX A TON!

[kimj]

No problem Odulf. I'm also late in thanking Cussonneau for the color pic of the medal and other info. Thanks a lot! Is this medal hard to find?

/Kim

[Veteran]

Yes, it is quite difficult to find.

Strangely, most French collectors don't know or don't care much about it. Connaisseurs would never pass it up, specially with the relevant date on the reverse, as shown by Cussonneau.

Veteran

Edited August 14, 2010 by Veteran

[CUSSONNEAU]

Hello,

Some piece of information about the king of Sweden's official visit in France, November 1908, extract from the Foreign office archives in Nantes, (Stockholm, Amb. File B 81).

At this occasion the following French decorations were awarded to Swedish subjects

Légion d'honneur Grand croix 5

Grands officiers 9

Commandeurs 23

Officiers 37

Chevaliers 68

Palmes Instruction publique 33

Officier d'académie 27

Mérite agricole Chevaliers 3

Ordre du Bénin Commandeur 1

Officier 15

Chevalier 8

Dragon d'Annam Officier 6

Chevalier 3

Médailles Or 4 + 3

Argent 98 + 4

Total général 337 ( + 7 )

Swedish servants awarded with the Foreign office medal (gold and silver) :

BORG Carl Oscar Valet de chambre Médaille d'or

RYDEN Gustaf Valet de chambre Médaille d'or

BERGMAN Gustaf Adolf Courrier Médaille d'argent

GUSTAFSSON Alex Valet de chambre Médaille d'argent

GUSTAFSSON Johannes Laquais Médaille d'argent

ELGESSON Joh. Fredrik Laquais Médaille d'argent

NOREN Carl Albert Laquais Médaille d'argent

CARLSSON Carl Oscar Laquais Médaille d'argent

(No more indication in the files on the remaining 101 medals)

Regards

Cuss

(Note : the colonial orders ''Black Star of the Benin and Dragoon of Annam'', in addition with the ''Mérite Agricole and the Palmes académiques'' were given to cut down the awarding of the Legion d'honneur).

Edited August 16, 2010 by CUSSONNEAU

[kimj]

Thank you for the information Veteran. Medal collecting is a strange business. Many rare Swedish medals are also not appreciated enough. One medal I have done some research on, no books written on the subject, have less than 40 examples awarded. This medal was like the Mount Everest in collecting for me. I never thought I would find one. But one day it showed up on-line..... for 30 euro. Now to find the K2 in collecting....

Very interesting info Cussonneau. Maybe the other medals were given out to be awarded by Swedish hands to those who was considered worthy? Those listed were already at the court so finding them was easy.

When I have worked on Swedish award lists I have often noticed the Legion of honour and other French awards. When I checked the lists with foreigners awarded order of the Sword the French are often found. Trading awards was the order of the day.

/Kim