Wiktor Axel Unander (18 December 1872 – 20 September 1967) was a

Swedish Army The Swedish Army ( sv, svenska armén) is the land force of the Swedish Armed Forces. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1521, when the men of Dalarna chose 16 young able men as body guards for the insurgent nobleman Gusta ...

officer who also served in the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed Force ...

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , religi ...

and in the

Ottoman Army The military of the Ottoman Empire ( tr, Osmanlı İmparatorluğu'nun silahlı kuvvetleri) was the armed forces of the Ottoman Empire. Army The military of the Ottoman Empire can be divided in five main periods. The foundation era covers the ...

in the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

. He also served in the Swedish foreign service as diplomatic agent and consul general in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Med ...

and as consul in

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Sl ...

Career

Unander was born on 18 December 1872 in

Yttertavle Yttertavle is a small locality situated in Umeå Municipality, Västerbotten County, Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Ki ...

, Sweden, the son of secretary Ph.D. Ferdinand Unander and his wife Fanny (née Scharin). He passed ''

studentexamen Studentexamen (Swedish for "students' examination" or "students' degree"), earlier also ''mogenhetsexamen'' ("maturity examination") was the name of the university entrance examination in Sweden from the 17th century to 1968. From 1862 to 1968, ...

'' in Stockholm in 1892 and was commissioned as an officer in

Västerbotten Regiment The Västerbotten Regiment ( sv, Västerbottens regemente), designations I 19, I XIX, I 20 and I 20/Fo 61, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that traced its origins back to the 16th century. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited fr ...

in 1894 with the rank of '' underlöjtnant''. Unander was promoted to Lieutenant in 1896 and attended the Royal Central Gymnastics Institute from 1896 to 1897 and then the Royal Swedish Army Staff College from 1898 to 1900. He served in the

and in the 1st Zouave Regiment in

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , religi ...

from 1900 to 1902. He became Major 1st Class ('' Binbashi'') in the

in 1903 and was employed in the staff of

Hüseyin Hilmi Pasha Hüseyin Hilmi Pasha ( ota, حسین حلمی پاشا tr, Hüseyin Hilmi Paşa, also spelled Hussein Hilmi Pasha) (1 April 1855 – 1922) was an Ottoman statesman and imperial administrator. He was twice the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire ...

, the Inspectorate-General of

Macedonia Macedonia most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a traditional geographic reg ...

the same year. There he participated in the settlement of the reorganization plan for the

gendarmerie Wrong info! --> A gendarmerie () is a military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (literally, ...

corps in Macedonia, and the reorganization plan from 1903 to 1906 regarding police and gendarmerie corps in the

Old Serbia Old Serbia ( sr, Стара Србија, Stara Srbija) is a Serbian historiographical term that is used to describe the territory that according to the dominant school of Serbian historiography in the late 19th century formed the core of the S ...

, Manastir Vilayet and in the

Albanian Vilayet The Albanian Vilayet ( ota, ولايت ارناود, ''Vilâyet-i Arnavid'') was a projected ''vilayet'' of the Ottoman Empire in the western Balkan Peninsula, which was to include the four Ottoman vilayets with substantial ethnic Albanian popula ...

. Unander re-entered the

in 1906 and was promoted to Captain in Västerbotten Regiment in 1907. He served in the 1st Life Grenadier Regiment in 1911 and from October 1912 to May 1913 as military attaché in

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth ( Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

, where he took part in the Battle of Lule Burgas and the First Battle of Çatalca during the

First Balkan War The First Balkan War ( sr, Први балкански рат, ''Prvi balkanski rat''; bg, Балканска война; el, Αʹ Βαλκανικός πόλεμος; tr, Birinci Balkan Savaşı) lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and invo ...

. Unander served as a special attaché in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

from 1917 to 1918 and he was promoted to Major in Norrbotten Regiment the same year. He was acting diplomatic agent and consul general in

from 1919 to 1922 and served in the South Scanian Infantry Regiment (''Södra skånska infanteriregementet'', I 7) in 1922. Unander last assignment was as Swedish consul in

from 1926 to 1929. On 21 March 1936, in his home at Drottninggatan 36 in

Malmö Malmö (, ; da, Malmø ) is the largest city in the Swedish county (län) of Scania (Skåne). It is the third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the sixth-largest city in the Nordic region, with a municipal popula ...

and surrounded by like-minded people, Unander founded Travellers Club in Malmö, a gentlemen's club which consists of men who have gained experience and knowledge of foreign countries and cultures and who wish to exchange thoughts and experiences. He served as the club's first '' Dux

Emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

'' until 1953.

Personal life

On 5 May 1905 in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

, he married Cecilia Crusebjörn (1878–1966), the daughter of Lieutenant General Jesper Crusebjörn and Augusta Bahrman. They had one daughter, Nedjibé (1907–1995), who married doctor A. W. Ott of Langendorf, Switzerland. Unander died on 20 September 1967 in Bern, Switzerland and was buried on 22 December 1967 in

Norra begravningsplatsen Norra begravningsplatsen, literally "The Northern Cemetery" in Swedish, is a major cemetery of the Stockholm urban area, located in Solna Municipality. Inaugurated on 9 June 1827, it is the burial site for a number of Swedish notables. Notabl ...

in Stockholm.

Dates of rank

Swedish Army

*1894 – '' Underlöjtnant'' *1896 –

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

*1907 –

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

*1918 – Major

Turkish Army

*1903 – Major 1st Class

Awards and decorations

Unander's awards: *Knight 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 February 23, 1748, together with the ...

*Knight of the

Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star (Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim. The Order of ...

*Konung Gustaf V:s olympiska minnesmedalj *Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Nile The Order of the Nile (''Kiladat El Nil'') was established in 1915 and was one of the Kingdom of Egypt's principal orders until the monarchy was abolished in 1953. It was then reconstituted as the Republic of Egypt's highest state honor. Sultana ...

*Commander of the Order of St. Sava *Second Class of the

Order of the Medjidie Order of the Medjidie ( ota, نشانِ مجیدی, August 29, 1852 – 1922) is a military and civilian order of the Ottoman Empire. The Order was instituted in 1851 by Sultan Abdulmejid I. History Instituted in 1851, the Order was awarded in f ...

*Knight of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

* ''Officier d'Académie'' *Second and Third Class of the Red Cross Medal *TftjGM

Bibliography

* * * * * * *''Conférence sur Varmée suédoise'' (1902)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Unander, Wiktor 1872 births 1967 deaths Swedish Army officers Ottoman Army officers French Army personnel People from Umeå Municipality Knights of the Order of the Sword Knights of the Order of the Polar Star Swedish military attachés Consuls-general of Sweden Burials at Norra begravningsplatsen Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences alumni