General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Hemming Gadd (6 November 1837 – 14 January 1915) was 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. His senior commands included regimental commander of the 2nd Life Grenadier Regiment and

Svea Life Guards The Svea Life Guards (), also I 1, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that was active in various forms 1521–2000. The unit was based in the Stockholm Garrison in Stockholm and belonged to the King's Life and Household Troops (''Kungl. Maj: ...

, as well as commander of the 4th Army Division. Gadd served as Chief of

His Majesty's Military Staff His Majesty's Military Staff () is the military staff of the Monarchy of Sweden, Swedish monarch and functions as a unit of the Royal Court of Sweden, Royal Court. It is led by the chief of staff and supports the King and the Swedish Royal Family ...

from 1905 to 1907.

Early life

Gadd was born on 6 November 1837 in

Harlösa Harlösa is a locality situated in Eslöv Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the w ...

, Sweden, the son Johan Niklas Gadd, a

provost Provost may refer to: Officials Ecclesiastic * Provost (religion), a high-ranking church official * Prince-provost, a high-ranking church official Government * Provost (civil), an officer of local government, including the equivalent ...

, and his wife Sofia Dahlberg. In 1857 he served as a non-commissioned officer in the

North Scanian Infantry Regiment North Scanian Infantry Regiment (), 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 was transferred to the Swedish Armoure ...

(I 6), and he was commissioned as an officer the following year.

Career

In 1861, Gadd graduated from the Higher Artillery School (''Högre artilleriläroverket'') in Marieberg in

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 in 1865 became a general staff officer serving in the 1st Military District (''1:a militärdistriktet'') as a staff adjutant until 1871. He was promoted to lieutenant in the army in 1865 and in the regiment in 1867. After serving 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 rank, enlisted, and civilian staff who serve the commanding officer, commander of a ...

's Statistics Department, he was appointed captain in 1873 at the same year reorganized General Staff. He then served as chief of staff in the 1st Military District from 1872 to 1878. In the years 1875-1876 he made a study trip to

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

as a scholarship holder of the General Staff. From 1879 to 1883, Gadd was a teacher of warfare and military history at 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 ...

. During his early military career, Gadd also participated in field service exercises in

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

in 1869 and

Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

in 1874, as well as in the autumn exercises in

in 1877. In 1880, Gadd was promoted to major in the General Staff and he served as Vice Chief of the Military Office of the Ministry of Land Defence from 1880 to 1883. In 1883 he was appointed lieutenant colonel in the North Scanian Infantry Regiment and was appointed head of the Royal Swedish Army Staff College, where he had worked as a teacher since 1879. Gadd then served as Chief of the Military Office of the Ministry of Land Defence from 1886 to 1888 when he became lieutenant colonel in the General Staff and was appointed regimental commander of the 2nd Life Grenadier Regiment (I 5), with the rank of colonel. He transferred to the

(I 1) in 1892 where he took up the position of executive commander. Gadd was promoted to major general in 1892 and four years later, on 16 January 1896, he was appointed commander of the 4th Army Division, succeeding Crown Prince Gustaf on the post. Gadd was promoted to lieutenant general in 1902 and on 8 November 1905, he left the position as commander and was promoted to general. After the

Commandant General in Stockholm The Commandant General in Stockholm () is a military position in Sweden with responsibility for state ceremonial activities. Lieutenant General Carl-Johan Edström, Chief of Defence Staff (Sweden), Chief of Defence Staff is the Commandant General ...

, Lieutenant General Sven Lagerberg, died in March 1905, Gadd took over the position between March and November 1905. Gadd was appointed as

ADC ADC may refer to: Aviation * ADC Aircraft, a British firm established in 1920 * ADC Airlines, based in Ikeja, Nigeria * Aerospace Defense Command, of the U.S. Air Force * Air data computer, an essential avionics component found in modern glass coc ...

to King

Oscar II Oscar II (Oscar Fredrik; 21 January 1829 – 8 December 1907) was King of Sweden from 1872 until his death in 1907 and King of Norway from 1872 to 1905. Oscar was the son of King Oscar I and Queen Josephine. He inherited the Swedish and Norweg ...

in 1881 and as senior ADC to the King in 1888. During his military service, he was a member of, among others, the committee for the preparation of proposals for exercise regulations for the infantry (1893–1894), the Committee for Investigation Concerning the Country's Permanent Defence (1897–1898), the Committee for the Preparation of Field Service Regulations (1899–1901), the Committee for Reviewing Proposals for New Army Order (1900) and the Committee for the Revision of Regulations and Instructions for Infantry Training (1902–1904). In addition to its military activities, Gadd was chairman of the executive board of the Royal Central Gymnastics Institute from 1894 to 1909, of the Court-Martial of Appeal from 1903 to 1910 and of the Executive Board of the Army Pension Fund (''Arméns pensionskassa'') from 1905 and the King's Hospital (''Konungens hospital''). Gadd also served as Chief of

from 1905 to 1907.

Personal life

In 1877, Gadd married Ida Paulina Benedicks (4 October 1849 – 29 November 1921).

Death

Gadd died on 14 January 1915 in his home in

. Gadd was interred 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

*1858 – ''

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 ...

'' *1865 –

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 ...

*1872 –

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 ...

*1880 –

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 ...

*1883 – Lieutenant colonel *1888 –

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 ...

*1892 – Major general *1902 –

Lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

*1905 –

Awards and decorations

Swedish

Knight and Commander of the Orders of His Majesty the King (

Order of the Seraphim The Royal Order of the Seraphim (; ''Seraphim'' being a category of angels) is the highest order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Sweden. It was created by Frederick I of Sweden, King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the ...

) (1 December 1905) * Oscar II and Sofia golden jubilee medal Ribbon Bar

King Oscar II and Queen Sofia's Golden Wedding Medal (1907) * Seraphimerorden ribbon

King Oscar II's Jubilee Commemorative Medal (1897) * Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_Grand_Cross_BAR

Commander Grand Cross 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 ...

(1 December 1899) * Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_1st_Class_BAR

Commander 1st Class of the

(1 December 1893) * Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Knight_1st_Class_BAR

Knight 1st Class of the

(1879)

Foreign

Grand Cross 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 ...

(between 1894 and 1901) * DNK Order of Danebrog Commander 1st Degree BAR

Commander 1st Class of the

(between 1890 and 1894) * 436px ribbon bar of the Order of Merit of the Prussian Crown

Knight of the Order of Merit of the Prussian Crown (3 August 1908) * PRU Order of Crown ribbon

Knight 1st Class of the Order of the Crown (between 1905 and 1908) * PRU Order of Crown ribbon

Knight 3rd Class of the Order of the Crown (between 1877 and 1881) * PRU Roter Adlerorden BAR

Knight 2nd Class of

Order of the Red Eagle The Order of the Red Eagle () was an order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was awarded to both military personnel and civilians, to recognize valor in combat, excellence in military leadership, long and faithful service to the kingdom, o ...

with diamonds (between 1888 and 1890) * Commander 2nd Class of the

Order of the Zähringer Lion The Order of the Zähringer Lion was instituted on 26 December 1812 by Karl, Grand Duke of Baden, in memory of the Dukes of Zähringen from whom he was descended. Classes It had five classes: *Grand Cross *Commander, First Class *Commander, ...

(between 1881 and 1888) * Legion Honneur Chevalier ribbon

Knight of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

(between 1877 and 1881) * Cavaliere OCI BAR

Knight of the

Order of the Crown of Italy The Order of the Crown of Italy ( or OCI) was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate Italian unification, the unification of Italy in 1861. It was awarded in five degrees for ...

(between 1877 and 1881) * St Olavs Orden ridder 1 klasse stripe

Knight 1st Class 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 ...

(1882)

Honours

*Member of the second class 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 ...

(1880) *Member of the first class of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences (1892)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gadd, Hemming 1837 births 1915 deaths Swedish Army generals People from Eslöv Municipality Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences Burials at Norra begravningsplatsen