Claës-Axel Wersäll

Claës-Axel Wersäll’s father was a Swedish governor and minister of finance, and his mother was Countess Lewenhaupt. After taking his officer’s exam in 1908 Wersäll became a second lieutenant in the Västmanland Regiment. One year after attending the infantry shooting school in 1911, he was promoted to lieutenant. In 1912, Wersäll was a member of the Swedish team that won gold in the Swedish system team event at the Stockholm Olympics.

Wersäll graduated as gymnastics director in 1916 and from the Military Academy in 1921. He was transferred to the Dalarna Regiment in 1927, four years after he became a captain and regiment’s adjutant. In 1933, he rose to the rank of major and later joined the Norrbotten Regiment as commander of the skier battalion. He achieved his highest rank, lieutenant-colonel, in 1938 and was transferred to the Dalarna Regiment. Wersäll retired in 1943. During World War II, he was commander of the Storuman defence area and since 1945 assistant mobilisation officer.

Wersäll married Agnes Fanny Viktoria Almqvist in 1916; they had two sons and one daughter. He received the shooting medal of the Swedish army and was appointed Knight of the Order of the Sword. In addition to Claes-Axel, his brother Gustaf also competed in the 1912 Olympic Games in modern pentathlon, one brother was an official, and three were volunteers. Another older brother, Ture won an Olympic gold medal at the Intercalated Games in 1906 in tug-of-war.