Bengt Ljungquist

{{Infobox military person

| name = Bengt Ljungquist

| image = Överstelöjtnant Bengt Ljungquist år 1967 KBGF.015186.jpg

| image_size =

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| caption = Ljungquist at his retirement in 1967.

| native_name =

| native_name_lang =

| birth_name = Bengt Helge Ljungquist

| nickname =

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1912|9|20|df=y}}

| birth_place = Umeå, Sweden

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1979|7|15|1912|9|20|df=y}}

| death_place = Förslöv, Sweden

| placeofburial =

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| allegiance = Sweden (1936–1967)
Abyssinia (1948–50)

| branch = Swedish Army

| serviceyears = 1936–1967

| rank = Colonel

| servicenumber =

| unit =

| commands = {{Unbulleted list|Swedish Cavalry Cadet School|Life Guards Squadron|Life Regiment Hussars}}

| battles = Winter War

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Bengt Helge Ljungquist (20 September 1912 – 15 July 1979) was a Swedish fencer, equestrian and military officer.

Early life

Ljungquist was born on 20 September 1912 in Umeå, Sweden, the son of Major Helge Ljungquist and his wife Edith Palander.{{cite book |url=https://runeberg.org/vemarvem/gota65/0720.html |editor1-last=Harnesk |editor1-first=Paul |date=1965 |title=Vem är vem? |volume=3, Götaland, utom Skåne, Halland, Blekinge |trans-title=Who's Who? |edition=2nd |location=Stockholm |publisher=Vem är vem bokförlag |language=sv |id={{SELIBR|53511}} |page=696}} Ljungquist began riding at the age of ten. He passed studentexamen in Stockholm in 1931.

Career

=Military career=

In 1934 he received his cavalry commission, which he resigned in 1939, along with many of his fellow officers, to fight in the Winter War for Finland in its two-year conflict with the invading Soviet Union.{{cite web |url=https://yourdressage.org/2019/02/14/col-bengt-ljungquist/ |website=www.yourdressage.org |publisher=United States Dressage Federation |title=American Dressage Legends: Col. Bengt Ljungquist |date=2019-02-14 |accessdate=15 July 2020}} Ljungquist also attended the Royal Swedish Army Staff College between 1938 and 1940 and then served as a General Staff Corps aspirant. Ljungquist was promoted to lieutenant in the Life Regiment Hussars (K 3) in 1936 and became ryttmästare in 1943. He then served as a teacher at Military Academy Karlberg from 1944 to 1948 and as a military instructor in Ethiopia from 1948 to 1950. Ljungquist was commanding officer of the Swedish Cavalry Cadet School (Kavalleriets kadettskola, KavKS) from 1950 to 1954 when he was promoted to major. In 1955, he was appointed executive officer of the Life Guards Squadron (K 1). As part of his military duties, Ljungquist organized the equestrian competition at the 1956 Stockholm Olympic Games. Four years later, Ljungquist was promoted to lieutenant colonel and appointed executive officer of the Life Regiment Hussars (K 3). He retired from the military in 1967 and was given a tombstone promotion to colonel the same year.{{cite book |url=https://gupea.ub.gu.se/bitstream/handle/2077/65026/gupea_2077_65026_1.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |title=Sveriges statskalender för skottåret 1968 |year=1968 |publisher=Fritzes offentliga publikationer |location=Uppsala |language=sv |page=375}}

=Sports career=

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name = Bengt Ljungquist

| image = Bengt Ljungquist 1952.jpg

| caption = Ljungquist at the 1952 Olympics

| birth_name =

| fullname = Bengt Helge Ljungquist

| nickname =

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| residence =

| birth_date = {{birth date|1912|9|20|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Umeå, Sweden

| death_date = {{death date and age|1979|7|15|1912|9|20|df=yes}}

| death_place = Förslöv, Sweden

| height = 185 cm

| weight = 90 kg

| website =

| country =

| sport = Fencing

| event = Épée, sabre, foil

| collegeteam =

| club = Skövde FF
Stockholms AF
K3 IF, Skövde

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{{MedalCountry | {{SWE}} }}

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He competed in various fencing events at the 1936, 1948, 1952 and 1956 Olympics and won a silver and bronze in the team épée in 1948 and 1952. In 1964 he took part only in mixed dressage events and finished fifth with the Swedish team.{{cite web|url=http://www.databaseolympics.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=LJUNGBEN01 |title=Olympics Statistics: Bengt Ljungquist |accessdate=6 June 2010 |work=databaseolympics.com |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100105121918/http://databaseolympics.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=LJUNGBEN01 |archivedate=5 January 2010 }}{{cite web |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/lj/bengt-ljungquist-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417162611/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/lj/bengt-ljungquist-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 April 2020 |title=Bengt Ljungquist Olympic Results |accessdate=6 June 2010 |work=sports-reference.com}}

At the world fencing championships Ljungquist won four silver and two bronze medals in the épée in 1937–1954.

During a visit with his sister to the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, he made a trip to the United States that sparked his interest in furthering dressage. He later became a United States Equestrian Team coach. As a United States Equestrian Team coach, Ljungquist guided the US dressage team to a bronze medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics and a gold medal at the 1975 Pan American Games. He was inducted into the United States Dressage Federation Hall of Fame in 1998.{{cite web |url=http://www.usdf.org/halloffame/inductees/profiles/ljungquist.asp |publisher=United States Dressage Federation |title=Colonel Bengt Ljungquist (1998) |access-date=21 September 2015}}

Personal life

In 1942, Ljungquist married Märta Thorén (born 1915), the daughter of Captain Gösta Thorén and Märta Bernström. He was the dather of Ewa (born 1943), Sten (born 1944) and Ulf (born 1947).

Death

He died on 15 July 1979 in Förslöv, Sweden during a visit from the United States where he was living.{{cite web |url=http://sok.se/idrottare/idrottare/b/bengt-ljungquist.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171008044745/http://sok.se/idrottare/idrottare/b/bengt-ljungquist.html |publisher=Swedish Olympic Committee |title=Bengt Ljungquist] |date=14 July 2020 |archive-date=8 October 2017 |language=sv}}

Dates of rank

193? – Second lieutenant
1936 – Lieutenant
1943 – Ryttmästare
1954 – Major
1959 – Lieutenant colonel
1967 – Colonel

Awards and decorations

=Swedish=

50x50px {{flagicon|Sweden}} Knight of the Order of the Sword (1954){{cite book |url=https://gupea.ub.gu.se/bitstream/handle/2077/65665/gupea_2077_65665_1.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |editor-last=Sköldenberg |editor-first=Bengt |title=Sveriges statskalender 1969 |year=1969 |publisher=Fritzes offentliga publikationer |location=Uppsala |language=sv |id={{SELIBR|3682754}} |page=128}}
{{flagicon|Sweden}} Skaraborg County Schooting Association's Gold Medal (Skaraborgs skytteförbunds guldmedalj)
{{flagicon|Sweden}} Swedish Equestrian Badge of Honor (Svensk ridsports hederstecken)
{{flagicon|Sweden}} Swedish Fencing Association's Gold Medal (Svenska fäktförbundet EtoGM)

=Foreign=

50x50px {{flagicon|Finland}} Knight 1st Class of the Order of the White Rose of Finland
50x50px {{flagicon|Norway}} Knight 1st Class of the Order of St. Olav
50x50px {{flagicon|Netherlands}} Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau
50px {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} Honorary Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (June 1956){{cite news |url=https://www.svd.se/arkiv/1956-06-09/13/SVD |newspaper=Svenska Dagbladet |title=Många ordnar utdelade vid drottningbesöket |trans-title=Many orders awarded at the Queen's visit |page=A13 |date=9 June 1956 |access-date=26 October 2022 |language=sv |url-access=subscription}}
50x50px {{flagicon|Finland}} 4th Class of the Order of the Cross of Liberty with Swords
50x50px {{flagicon|France}} Medal of Honour for Physical Education, silver (Médaille d'Honneur de l'Education Physique)
{{flagicon|Finland}} Finnish War Commemorative Medal
{{flagicon|Finland}} Finnish Commemorative Cross on the occasion of the Finnish War 1939-45