Major General Eric Virgin (18 May 1876 – 12 May 1950) was a

Swedish Air Force The Swedish Air Force ( or just ) is the air force Military branch, branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. History The Swedish Air Force was created on 1 July 1926 when the aircraft units of the Army and Navy were merged. Because of the escalatin ...

officer. Originally a

Swedish Army The Swedish Army () is the army, land force of the Swedish Armed Forces of the Kingdom of Sweden. Beginning with its service in 1521, the Swedish Army has been active for more than 500 years. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1 ...

officer, Virgin became commanding officer of the

Svea Logistic Corps The Svea Logistic Corps (, T 1) was a Swedish Army logistic corps operating between 1891 and 1997. The unit was based in Linköping. History The unit has its origins in the Logistic Battalion (''Trängbataljonen'') which was divided in 1891 in ...

(T 1) in 1926 and was appointed Inspector of the

Swedish Army Service Troops The Swedish Army Service Troops (, T or ''Underhållstrupperna'', before 1942 called ''Trängen'') is the military logistics (or Train (military), train) branch of the Swedish Army. The task of the troops is to train personnel for maintenance uni ...

the year after. In 1931 he was appointed Chief of the Air Force for the newly established Swedish Air Force. Virgin left the position as major general in 1934 to become advisor to the Emperor of Abyssinia. He left

Abyssinia Abyssinia (; also known as Abyssinie, Abissinia, Habessinien, or Al-Habash) was an ancient region in the Horn of Africa situated in the northern highlands of modern-day Ethiopia and Eritrea.Sven Rubenson, The survival of Ethiopian independence, ...

two days before the outbreak of the

Second Italo-Ethiopian War The Second Italo-Ethiopian War, also referred to as the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, was a war of aggression waged by Fascist Italy, Italy against Ethiopian Empire, Ethiopia, which lasted from October 1935 to February 1937. In Ethiopia it is oft ...

in 1935; back in Sweden, he was placed in the Swedish Air Force reserve, where he remained until 1947. Virgin died three years later.

Early life

Virgin was born on 18 May 1876 in

Skövde Skövde () is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and urban centre in Skövde Municipality and Västra Götaland County, in the Västergötland, Västergötland (Western Gothland region) in central southern Sweden. Skövde is situated around 150 k ...

, Sweden, the son of colonel Ivar Virgin and his wife Hedvig (née af Klint).

Career

He was commissioned as an officer in Småland Grenadier Corps (I 7) in 1898 with the rank of ''underlöjtnant'' and attended the Royal Central Gymnastics Institute from 1899 to 1901 and the

Royal Swedish Army Staff College The Royal Swedish Army Staff College (, KHS) was a Swedish Army training establishment between 1866 and 1961, providing courses for army officers. It was the home of the Swedish Army's staff college, which provided advanced training for officers ...

from 1902 to 1904. Virgin served at the Life Regiment of Horse (K 1) in 1903 and was promoted to lieutenant in 1904 and served as a company officer at the Royal Military Academy in 1905. Virgin then served at

Wendes Artillery Regiment The Wendes Artillery Regiment (), designation A 3, was a Swedish Army artillery regiment that traced its origins back to the 17th century. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited from Scania, where it was garrisoned. The unit was disban ...

(A 3) in 1907 and at the

Swedish State Railways The Swedish State Railways () or SJ, originally the Royal Railway Board (), was the former government agency responsible for operating the state-owned railways in Sweden. History The Swedish State Railways was created on 1 June 1888 as an ...

from 1908 to 1910. He was a teacher at the Royal Swedish Army Staff College from 1910 to 1916 and became captain of the

General Staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, Enlisted rank, enlisted, and civilian staff who serve the commanding officer, commander of a ...

in 1912. The year after, Virgin served at Positionsartilleriregementet (A 3) and he became captain in the

Life Regiment Grenadiers Life Regiment Grenadiers (), also I 3, was a Swedish Army infantry unit that was active in various forms 1815–2000. The unit was based in Örebro Garrison in Örebro and belonged to the King's Life and Household Troops (''Kungl. Maj:ts Liv- och ...

(I 3) in 1916. He accompanied the

1st First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

5th Fifth is the ordinal form of the number five. Fifth or The Fifth may refer to: * Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "pleading the Fifth" * Fifth Avenue * Fifth column, a political term * Fifth disease, a cont ...

and 10th

Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army, also known as the Imperial and Royal Army,; was the principal ground force of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918. It consisted of three organisations: the Common Army (, recruited from all parts of Austria-Hungary), ...

in 1917 and was a member of the Study Commission to the German Western Front in 1918. Back in Sweden, Virgin was appointed chief adjutant (''överadjutant'') and major of the General Staff in 1918 and was appointed head of the Communications Department there in 1919. Virgin was appointed chief adjutant and was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1922. He became commanding officer of

(T 1) in 1926 and was appointed Inspector of the

(''Tränginspektör'') in 1927. Virgin was promoted to major general and was appointed Chief of the Air Force and head of ''Flygstyrelsen'' in 1931. He left the post in 1934 to become political and military advisor to the Emperor of Abyssinia the same year. Virgin and captain Viking Tamm as well as four other military officers (the lieutenants Nils Bouveng, Arne Thorburn, Gustaf Heüman and Anders Nyblom) entered together into the Abyssinian service to organize the country's only military school for the training of Abyssinian officers. A Swedish military academy for cadets was established in Holeta Genet under captain Tamm who, with his staff, stayed on in Abyssinia after the outbreak of the

despite pressure by the Swedish government to return. Virgin, who in Abyssinia was called "the White Emperor" and "Italy's enemy No. 1" because of his great influence, did nothing to dampen the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

annoyance. On the contrary, he tried to tease

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

by recurrent condescending comments about Italians' military skills and their little prospect to emerge victorious from an armed conflict with the Abyssinians. He went so far as to even captain Tamm and the Swedish consul in Addis Ababa turned to the

Foreign Ministry In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral re ...

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

and asked for a transfer of the talkative general. The result was that Virgin left Abyssinia on 1 October 1935, only two days before the Italian invasion. Back in Sweden he was placed in the

reserve in 1936 where he stayed until 1947.

Other work

Virgin was chairman of the Military Association K.H.S. from 1918 to 1923 and secretary of Military Literature Association (''Militärlitteraturföreningen'') from 1914 to 1918. He was also an expert for the reorganization of the

Road and Waterway Construction Service Corps The Road and Waterway Construction Service Corps (, VVK) was during the years 1851–2010 a military administrative corps of reserve personnel in the Swedish Army, who was responsible for in the case of war provide the Swedish Armed Forces with sp ...

in 1924, for the drafting of war regulations for the Swedish Air Force in 1928 and chairman of the experts drafting the new field service regulations for the

in 1929. He became a member of the

Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences The Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences () is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden and was founded on 12 November 1796 by Gustaf Wilhelm af Tibell. The academy is an independent organization and a forum for military (army and air force) and de ...

in 1924 and was second president from 1937 to 1940. Virgin was a member of the National Board of the

Swedish Red Cross The Swedish Red Cross ( Swedish: ''Svenska Röda Korset'') is a Swedish humanitarian organisation and a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Founded in 1865, its purpose is to prevent and alleviate human suffering wher ...

in 1927 and of the central board of the voluntary defense organization ''Röda stjärnan'' from 1928 to 1931. He was a board member of the

Royal Automobile Club The Royal Automobile Club is a British private Club (organization)#Country or sports club, social and athletic club. It has two clubhouses: one in London at 89 Pall Mall, London, Pall Mall, and the other in the countryside at Woodcote Park, ne ...

in 1928 and was its chairman from 1933 to 1934 and its first vice chairman from 1940 to 1943. Virgin was chairman of the

Directorate of the Swedish Nobility Foundation The House of Nobility () in Stockholm, Sweden, is a corporation and a building that maintains records and acts as an interest group on behalf of the Swedish nobility. Name The name is literally translated as ''House of Knights'', as the knight ...

from 1944.

Personal life

In 1902 he married Olga Ewerlöf (1880–1976), the daughter of colonel Fritz Ewerlöf and Anna (née Groothoff). He was the father of Fritz-Ivar Christian (1903–1984) and Olga Marianne (born 1908).

Death

Eric Virgin died on 12 May 1950 in

. He was buried at

Norra begravningsplatsen Norra begravningsplatsen, literally "The Northern Burial Place" 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. Th ...

in Stockholm.

Dates of rank

*1898 – ''

Underlöjtnant ''Underlöjtnant'' (from the German word '' Unterleutnant'') was the lowest officer rank in the Swedish Army from 1835 to 1937 instead of the previous ranks of ''fänrik'' and cornet. was reintroduced in 1914 with the same position as , from 19 ...

'' *1904 –

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

*1912 –

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

*1918 –

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

*1922 – Lieutenant colonel *1926 –

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

*1931 – Major general

Awards and decorations

Swedish

King Gustaf V's Jubilee Commemorative Medal (1928) * Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_1st_Class_BAR

Commander 1st Class 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 23 February 1748, together with the Or ...

(6 June 1932) * SWE_Order_of_Vasa_-_Knight_2nd_Class_BAR

Knight of the

Order of Vasa The Royal Order of Vasa () is a Swedish order of chivalry founded on 29 May 1772 by Gustav III, King Gustav III. It is awarded to Swedish citizens for service to state and society especially in the fields of agriculture, mining and commerce. His ...

Landstorm In various European countries, the term Landstorm (, Swedish and , roughly "land assault", ) was historically used to refer to militia or military units composed of conscripts who are not in regular army. It is particularly associated with Pru ...

en Silver Medal (''Landstormens silvermedalj'') * Swedish Red Cross Gold Medal (''Svenska Röda korsets guldmedalj'')

Foreign

ETH_Order_of_Menelik_II_-_Grand_Cross_BAR

Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of Menelik II The Imperial Order of Emperor Menelik II is an Ethiopian Order (decoration), order established in 1924 by then-Regent Haile Selassie, Tafari Makonnen, during the reign of Zewditu I of Ethiopia, Empress Zewditu I, in order to honor the memory of Em ...

ETH_Order_of_the_Star_of_Ethiopia_-_Grand_Cross_BAR

Grand Cross of the

Order of the Star of Ethiopia The Order of the Star of Ethiopia was established as an order of knighthood of the Ethiopian Empire, founded by the Negus of Shewa and later Emperor of Ethiopia Menelik II in 1884–1885. It is currently awarded as a house order by the Crown ...

* Commander with Star of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...

Commander 1st Class of the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog () is a Denmark, Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V of Denmark, Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the Order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single cla ...

FIN_Order_of_the_White_Rose_Commander_BAR

Commander 2nd Class of the

Order of the White Rose of Finland The Order of the White Rose of Finland (; ) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, and the Order of the Lion of Finland. The President of Finland is the Grand Master of all three orders. The ...

Commander of the

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta (, ) is a Polish state decoration, state Order (decoration), order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on alien (law), foreigners for outstanding achievements in ...

* Commander of the

Order of Glory The Order of Glory () was a military decoration of the Soviet Union established by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet on November 8, 1943. It was awarded to soldiers and non-commissioned officers of the Red Army as well as to aviation ...

* Austrian Red Cross Badge of Honor for Officers with war decoration

Bibliography

* * *

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Virgin, Eric 1876 births 1950 deaths Swedish Air Force major generals Swedish expatriates in Ethiopia Ethiopian military personnel People from Skövde Knights of the Order of Vasa Commanders First Class of the Order of the Sword Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences Burials at Norra begravningsplatsen Recipients of orders, decorations, and medals of Ethiopia