Lieutenant General Erik Mathias Hjalmar Gustafsson Testrup (14 September 1878 – 18 December 1972) 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 Gustav Vas ...

officer. His senior commands include commanding officer of the Eastern Army Division of the IV Army Division, Commandant General of Stockholm Garrison and as military commander of the IV Military District.

Early life

Testrup was born on 14 September 1878 in Landskrona, Sweden, the son of lieutenant colonel Gustav Testrup and his wife Mathilda Gerlin.

Career

Military career

He was commissioned as an officer in Kronoberg Regiment in 1898 with the rank of '' underlöjtnant''. Testrup was promoted to lieutenant in 1902 and attended the

Royal Swedish Army Staff College The Royal Swedish Army Staff College ( sv, Kungliga Krigshögskolan, 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 adv ...

from 1904 to 1906. He then served in 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 and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military un ...

in 1910 and he was promoted to captain in 1912. Testrup served as a teacher at the Royal Swedish Army Staff College from 1914 to 1915 and at the Royal Swedish Naval Staff College from 1915 to 1919. In 1917, he made a study trip to the German

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

and served in the Göta Life Guards from 1917 to 1919, when he was promoted to major and served in the General Staff. In 1922, Testrup was promoted to lieutenant colonel and appointed head of the Royal Swedish Army Staff College. In 1925, he made a study trip to the Netherlands and to England (and to Finland in 1930) and the year after he was promoted to colonel and was appointed regimental commander of the

North Scanian Infantry Regiment North Scanian Infantry Regiment ( sv, Norra skånska infanteriregementet), designation I 6, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that operated from 1812 to 1963. The unit was based in the Kristianstad Garrison in Kristianstad. In 1963 the regiment ...

. Testrup was then commanding officer of the

Military Office of the Land Defence The Military Office of the Land Defence ( sv, Lantförsvarets kommandoexpedition), from 1840 to 1922 called the Military Office of the Ministry of Land Defence ( sv, Lantförsvarsdepartementets kommandoexpedition), was an office in the Royal Chance ...

from 1929 to 1932 and brigade commander in the Western Army Division from 1932 to 1936. He was promoted to major general in the army in 1934 and in 1936 he was appointed commanding officer of the Eastern Army Division and Commandant General of Stockholm Garrison. In 1937, Testrup was appointed commanding officer of the IV Army Division. During this time he continued serving as Commandant General of Stockholm Garrison. In 1939, he visited the field service exercises on the Karelian Isthmus. He was appointed military commander of the IV Military District in 1942 and in 1943 Testrup retired from active service and was at the same time promoted to lieutenant general.

Other work

Testrup was an expert on the army's providing with technical equipment from 1917 to 1918, on the training of certain technical officers from 1918 to 1921, secretary for the army in the ''Försvarsrevisionen'' from 1919 to 1923 and secretary of the General Commission (''Generalkommissionen'') in 1923. He was at the disposal of the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

for drafting a new army regulation from 1923 to 1924, secretary of the Land Defense (''Lantförsvaret'') in the

Riksdag The Riksdag (, ; also sv, riksdagen or ''Sveriges riksdag'' ) is the legislature and the supreme decision-making body of Sweden. Since 1971, the Riksdag has been a unicameral legislature with 349 members (), elected proportionally and se ...

's Special Committee in 1924, and was an expert on the infantry exercise regulations and field service regulations from 1926 to 1927. In 1929, Testrup became a Riksdag's Upper House for The Right in 1929. Testrup was chairman of the military association KHS from 1924 to 1926, of the ''Norra skånska landstormsförbundet'' ("North Scanian Landstorm Association") from 1927 to 1930, of the ''Föreningen för befrämjandet av skolungdomens vapenövningar'' ("Association for the Promotion of Weapon Exercises for Students") from 1937 to 1947, of the Stockholm district of ''Militär Idrott'' from 1937 to 1943, of the Stockholm district of the Swedish Red Cross from 1943 to 1954 and of the General Commission for Voluntary Health Care in War from 1944. He was also vice chairman of Bönnelyche & Thuröe AB from 1947 to 1959 and a member of the Executive Board of the ''H.M. Konungens Militärhospitals- och Medaljfonder'' from 1947 to 1964.

Personal life

In 1904, he married Ebba Thuröe (1883–1963), the daughter of Lauritz Thuröe and Christine Bönnelyche.

Death

Testrup died on 18 December 1972. He was buried on 26 January 1973 in the Old Cemetery in Strängnäs in the same grave as his parents and his wife.

Dates of rank

*1898 – '' Underlöjtnant'' *1902 – Lieutenant *1912 –

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 ...

*1919 –

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

*1922 –

Lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

*1926 – Colonel *1934 – Major general *1943 – Lieutenant general

Awards and decorations

Swedish

King Gustaf V's Jubilee Commemorative Medal (1948) * Royal Order of the Sword - Commander Grand Cross BAR

Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword (6 June 1941) * Royal Order of the Sword - Commander 1st Class BAR

Commander 1st Class of the Order of the Sword (22 November 1932) * Royal Order of the Sword - Commander BAR

Commander 2nd Class of the Order of the Sword (6 June 1930) * Royal Order of the Sword - Knight 1st Class BAR

Knight 1st Class of the Order of the Sword (1919) * SWE Order of Vasa - Knight 2nd Class BAR

Commander 1st Class of the Order of Vasa (16 June 1933) * SWE Order of Vasa - Knight 2nd Class BAR

Knight 1st Class of the Order of Vasa (1916) * Order of the Polar Star - Ribbon bar, pre 1975

Knight of the Order of the Polar Star (1923) * Försvarsutbildarnas förtjänstmedalj

Federation of Landstorm Associations Medal of Merit in gold * ''Lingiadens jubileumsmedalj'' ("Ligiad Commemorative Medal") * ''Landstormsofficerarnas riksförbunds hederstecken i guld'' ("Federation of Landstorm Associations Badge of Honor in Gold") * Swedish Red Cross' Silver Medal * SthlmsIfbGM * Central Board of the National Swedish Rifle Association's Silver Medal (''Sveriges skytteförbunds överstyrelses silvermedalj'') * ''Föreningen för befrämjande av skolungdomens vapenövningars guldmedalj'' ("Association for the Promotion of Weapon Exercises for Students' Gold Medal")

Foreign

EST Order of the Cross of the Eagle 2nd Class BAR

2nd Class of the Order of the Cross of the Eagle (between 1931 and 1935) * FIN Order of the White Rose Commander 1st Class BAR

Commander 1st Class of the Order of the White Rose of Finland (between 1931 and 1935) * FIN Order of the White Rose Commander BAR

Commander 2nd Class of the Order of the White Rose of Finland (between 1925 and 1928) * FIN Order of the White Rose Knight 1st Class BAR

Knight 1st Class of the Order of the White Rose of Finland (between 1918 and 1921) * DEU Deutsche Adlerorden 1 BAR

Order of the German Eagle (with degree as in Swedish is stated as ''Grand Officer'') (1942) * DNK Order of Danebrog Commander BAR

Commander 2nd Class of the

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

(between 1931 and 1935) * Order of Orange-Nassau ribbon - Commander

Commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau with Swords (between 1925 and 1928) * St Olavs Orden kommandør stripe

Commander of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav ( no, Den Kongelige Norske Sankt Olavs Orden; 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 ...

(between 1925 and 1928) * POL Polonia Restituta Komandorski BAR

Commander 2nd Class of the Order of Polonia Restituta (between 1931 and 1935) * Legion Honneur Officier ribbon

Officer of the Legion of Honour (between 1931 and 1935) * Cavaliere SSML BAR

Knight of the

Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus The Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus ( it, Ordine dei Santi Maurizio e Lazzaro) (abbreviated OSSML) is a Roman Catholic dynastic order of knighthood bestowed by the royal House of Savoy. It is the second-oldest order of knighthood in the wo ...

(between 1909 and 1915) * White Guard's Cross of Merit *

Finnish Red Cross The Finnish Red Cross (FRC, fi, Suomen Punainen Risti, sv, Finlands Röda Kors) is an independent member of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, which is one of the biggest and best-known international organi ...

' Cross of Honor * Finnish commemorative medal for humanitarian activities * French Red Cross's Gold Medal * German Red Cross' Badge of Honor

Honours

*Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences (1924), its president 1943–1945 *Member of the

Royal Patriotic Society The Royal Patriotic Society ( sv, Kungliga Patriotiska Sällskapet) is a Swedish royal society founded in 1772 in Stockholm, Sweden, by royal charter of King Gustav III of Sweden, with the aim of improving Sweden's economy, particularly agricult ...

*Member of the

Royal Swedish Pro Patria Society The Swedish Royal Society Pro Patria ( sv, Kungliga sällskapet Pro Patria) is a Swedish charitable organisation under royal protection since 1775 (King Gustav III Gustav III (29 March 1792), also called ''Gustavus III'', was King of Sweden fr ...

*Member of the Idun Society (''Sällskapet Idun'') *Member of the ''Arla Coldinu Orden'', its president 1939–1956

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Testrup, Erik 1878 births 1972 deaths Swedish Army lieutenant generals People from Landskrona Municipality Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword Commanders First Class of the Order of the Polar Star Knights of the Order of Vasa Members of the Första kammaren