Bengt Ljungquist

Bengt Ljungquist
	Ljungquist at the 1952 Olympics
Personal information
Full name	Bengt Helge Ljungquist
Born	20 September 1912; Umeå, Sweden
Died	15 July 1979 (aged 66); Förslöv, Sweden
Height	185 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	90 kg (198 lb)
Sport
Sport	Fencing
Event(s)	Épée, sabre, foil
Club	Skövde FF; Stockholms AF; K3 IF, Skövde
Medal record
Representing Sweden
Olympic Games
World Championships

Bengt Ljungquist
Bengt Ljungquist
	Ljungquist at his retirement in 1967.
Birth name	Bengt Helge Ljungquist
Born	20 September 1912; Umeå, Sweden
Died	15 July 1979 (aged 66); Förslöv, Sweden
Allegiance	Sweden (1936–1967); Abyssinia (1948–50)
Service / branch	Swedish Army
Years of service	1936–1967
Rank	Colonel
Commands	Swedish Cavalry Cadet School; Life Guards Squadron; Life Regiment Hussars;
Battles / wars	Winter War

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.^[1] Ljungquist began riding at the age of ten.^[2] He passed studentexamen in Stockholm in 1931.^[1]

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.^[2] 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.^[1] 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).^[1] As part of his military duties, Ljungquist organized the equestrian competition at the 1956 Stockholm Olympic Games.^[2] Four years later, Ljungquist was promoted to lieutenant colonel and appointed executive officer of the Life Regiment Hussars (K 3).^[1] He retired from the military in 1967 and was given a tombstone promotion to colonel the same year.^[3]

Sports career

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.^[4]^[5]

At the world fencing championships Ljungquist won four silver and two bronze medals in the épée in 1937–1954.^[6]

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.^[2] 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.^[7]

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).^[1]

Death

He died on 15 July 1979 in Förslöv, Sweden during a visit from the United States where he was living.^[6]

Dates of rank

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

Awards and decorations

Swedish

Knight of the Order of the Sword (1954)^[8]
Skaraborg County Schooting Association's Gold Medal (Skaraborgs skytteförbunds guldmedalj)^[1]
Swedish Equestrian Badge of Honor (Svensk ridsports hederstecken)^[1]
Swedish Fencing Association's Gold Medal (Svenska fäktförbundet EtoGM)^[1]

Foreign

Knight 1st Class of the Order of the White Rose of Finland^[1]
Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau^[1]
Knight 1st Class of the Order of St. Olav^[1]
Honorary Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (June 1956)^[9]
4th Class of the Order of the Cross of Liberty with Swords^[1]
Medal of Honour for Physical Education, silver (Médaille d'Honneur de l'Education Physique)^[1]
Finnish War Commemorative Medal^[1]
Finnish Commemorative Cross on the occasion of the Finnish War 1939-45^[1]

Honours

Member of the Samfundet SHT^[1]
Member of the Rotary International^[1]
Member of the United States Dressage Federation Hall of Fame (1998)^[7]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r Harnesk, Paul, ed. (1965). Vem är vem? [Who's Who?] (in Swedish). Vol. 3, Götaland, utom Skåne, Halland, Blekinge (2nd ed.). Stockholm: Vem är vem bokförlag. p. 696. SELIBR 53511.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "American Dressage Legends: Col. Bengt Ljungquist". www.yourdressage.org. United States Dressage Federation. 14 February 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
^ Sveriges statskalender för skottåret 1968 (PDF) (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1968. p. 375.
^ "Olympics Statistics: Bengt Ljungquist". databaseolympics.com. Archived from the original on 5 January 2010. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
^ "Bengt Ljungquist Olympic Results". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
^ ^a ^b "Bengt Ljungquist]" (in Swedish). Swedish Olympic Committee. 14 July 2020. Archived from the original on 8 October 2017.
^ ^a ^b "Colonel Bengt Ljungquist (1998)". United States Dressage Federation. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
^ Sköldenberg, Bengt, ed. (1969). Sveriges statskalender 1969 (PDF) (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. p. 128. SELIBR 3682754.
^ "Många ordnar utdelade vid drottningbesöket" [Many orders awarded at the Queen's visit]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 9 June 1956. p. A13. Retrieved 26 October 2022.

External links

Bengt Ljungquist at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)

Military offices
Preceded by Anders Grafström	Life Guards Squadron 1955–1959	Succeeded by Nils-Fredrik Haegerström
Preceded by Fritz Magnus Sommar Bruzelius	Life Regiment Hussars 1959–1967	Succeeded by Gustaf Malmström

[Harnesk_(1965),_p._696-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r Harnesk, Paul, ed. (1965). Vem är vem? [Who's Who?] (in Swedish). Vol. 3, Götaland, utom Skåne, Halland, Blekinge (2nd ed.). Stockholm: Vem är vem bokförlag. p. 696. SELIBR 53511.

[yourdressage.org-2] "American Dressage Legends: Col. Bengt Ljungquist". www.yourdressage.org. United States Dressage Federation. 14 February 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2020.

[3] Sveriges statskalender för skottåret 1968 (PDF) (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1968. p. 375.

[databaseolympics-4] "Olympics Statistics: Bengt Ljungquist". databaseolympics.com. Archived from the original on 5 January 2010. Retrieved 6 June 2010.

[sports-reference-5] "Bengt Ljungquist Olympic Results". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2010.

[sok-6] "Bengt Ljungquist]" (in Swedish). Swedish Olympic Committee. 14 July 2020. Archived from the original on 8 October 2017.

[Fall_of_Fame-7] "Colonel Bengt Ljungquist (1998)". United States Dressage Federation. Retrieved 21 September 2015.

[8] Sköldenberg, Bengt, ed. (1969). Sveriges statskalender 1969 (PDF) (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. p. 128. SELIBR 3682754.

[9] "Många ordnar utdelade vid drottningbesöket" [Many orders awarded at the Queen's visit]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 9 June 1956. p. A13. Retrieved 26 October 2022.

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