Erik Testrup

Lieutenant General Erik Mathias Hjalmar Gustafsson Testrup (14 September 1878 – 18 December 1972) was a Swedish Army 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 from 1904 to 1906. He then served in the General Staff 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 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. Testrup was then commanding officer of the Military Office of the Land Defence 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.

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.

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

Dates of rank 1898 – Underlöjtnant 1902 – Lieutenant 1912 – Captain 1919 – Major 1922 – Lieutenant colonel 1926 – Colonel 1934 – Major general 1943 – Lieutenant general

Awards and decorations

Swedish

White Guard's Cross of Merit Finnish Red Cross' 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 Member of the Royal Swedish Pro Patria Society Member of the Idun Society (Sällskapet Idun) Member of the Arla Coldinu Orden, its president 1939–1956