Henrik August Angell (22 August 1861 – 26 January 1922) was a Norwegian military officer, sportsman, and writer. He was a ski pioneer and the first Norwegian delegate to the International Olympic Committee.[1]

Henrik August Angell
Drawing of Henrik Angell by Andreas Bloch
Born(1861-08-22)22 August 1861
Luster, Norway, Norway
Died26 January 1922(1922-01-26) (aged 60)
Kristiania, Norway
Allegiance Norway
Service / branchArmy Infantry
Years of service1877–1918;
1918–1919 with French Foreign Legion
RankColonel
CommandsSøndermør, Smaalenene
Battles / warsWorld War I with French Foreign Legion
Awards1st class of the Norwegian Medal for noble deeds, 4th class of the Order of Prince Danilo I, 2nd class of the Order of St. Sava, 3rd class of the Order of the Medjidie, knight 1st class Order of the Sword, knight of the Order of the Dannebrog, officer of the Order of the Redeemer, Legion of Honour
Other workauthor
Monument to Colonel Henrik August Angell by Gustav Lærum, 1923

Early life

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Henrik Angell was born on 22 August 1861 at Luster in Sogn og Fjordane and grew up in Bergen, Norway. He was the son of Johan Mølmann Anderson Lysholm Angell (1820–88) and his wife Marie With Bonnevie (1830–1904). In 1890 he married Gerhardine Henriette de Sérène d'Acqueria.[2]

He received an education at the Norwegian Military Academy and entered the Norwegian Army.[3]

Military career

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In 1897 he visited Greece to study their infantry in action. He was a colonel and regiment chief from 1911. He was commander leader of the Søndermør Infantry Regiment until 1914 and of the Smaalenene Infantry Regiment until 1918. He joined the French Foreign Legion in 1918, and participated on the Western Front for France in World War I.[3][4][5] It was whilst he was deployed in Northern Russia that he had a severe case of frostbite, resulting in both of his feet and several fingers being amputated.[6] He was appointed as an officer of the Legion of Honour for his service during the North Russia intervention.[7]

Skiing and literary work

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Angell introduced skiing to Montenegro in 1893,[8] was admitted to the skiing club SK Ull in 1898, founded the Norwegian Ski School in 1903, invited to the Alps to teach French soldiers to ski, and was a sports advocate.[9] He wrote several books promoting skiing and Norwegian nationalism. He also wrote a series of military history books.[2][10]

Death and legacy

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He died on 26 January 1922 in Kristiania (now Oslo), Norway.[2] His statue by Gustav Lærum is located at Holmenkollen in Oslo.[11][12]

Selected works

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  • Naar et lidet Folk kjæmper for Livet : serbiske Soldaterfortællinger (1914)
  • Gjennem Montenegro paa ski (1895)
  • De sorte fjeldes sønner (1896)
  • Kaptein Jürgensen og Leirdølerne hans (1901)
  • Et sterkt folk (1902)
  • Norges krigshistorie (1906)
  • Norsk Skilauparsoge (1908)
  • Syv-aars-krigen for 17. mai 1807–1814 (1914)
  • For Frankrigs ret og ære: fra den franske front (1918)

References

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  1. ^ "Henrik August Angell (1861–1922)". Østfoldmuseene. 2014. Archived from the original on 13 March 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Andersen, Roy. "Henrik Angell". In Helle, Knut (ed.). Norsk biografisk leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
  3. ^ a b Anne Berit Klungsøyr. "Henrik Angell". Nynorsk kultursentrum. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  4. ^ Jon Gunnar Arntzen. "Henrik Angell". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  5. ^ "Henrik Angell". NRK Sogn og Fjordane. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  6. ^ Wright, Damien (2017). Churchill's Secret War with Lenin: British and Commonwealth Military Intervention in the Russian Civil War, 1918-20. Solihull: Helion. p. 44. ISBN 978-1-911512-10-3.
  7. ^ "Appointment as an officer of the Legion of Honour, backdated with effect from 1st May 1919". Journal officiel de la République française. Lois et décrets (in French). 52 (20). Ministères Des Affaires: 1088. 21 January 1920. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  8. ^ Huntford, Roland (2013) Two Planks and a Passion: The Dramatic History of Skiing Bloomsbury Publishing ISBN 9780826423382 pg 188–189
  9. ^ Vaage, Jakob (1983). Skiklubben Ull 100 år 1883–1983 (in Norwegian). Oslo. p. 7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  10. ^ "Henrik August Angell". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
  11. ^ "Henrik Angell". bokselskap.no. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  12. ^ Sonja Hagemann. "Gustav Lærum". Norsk kunstnerleksikon. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
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Sporting positions
Preceded by
position created
(Norway's independence)
Norway's member of the International Olympic Committee
1905–1907
Succeeded by