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Auction: 22003 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 574

(x) The Ymer-80 plaque of Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences - awarded to Commodore Bertil Daggfeldt for his part in their Arctic expedition in 1980

Plaque of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences, bronze, 150mm, mounted on wooden base, with small engraved silver plate to the base, this stating 'Till Bertil Daggfeldt. Idégivare till YMER-80. Från Kungl Örlogsmannasällskapet' (To Bertil Daggfeldt who gave the idea to YMER 80 from the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences), traces of verdigris, nonetheless a scarce Arctic exploration award, very fine

The Abstract for their findings published in Geologiska Föreningen i Stockholm Förhandlingar states:

'During the summer of 1980 the Swedish ice-breaker Ymer served as a platform for an Arctic expedition carrying out an intense scientific program in the area from Franz Josefs Land westwards to Greenland, with emphasis on Svalbard and the surrounding seas. The geo-program included studies of the physical geography and Quaternary geology of Nordaust-landet and surrounding islands, and northeasternmost Greenland, with concentration on studies of glacial chronology and shore-line displacement, and special emphasis on the age of the ice-free areas. Marine geological and geophysical work was concentrated on transects across the shelf areas north of Svalbard, to the deep Arctic basin, and across the spreading zone between Svalbard and Greenland. It included dredging and coring, with heat flow measurements, and magnetic and seismic profiling. Glaciological work on small, low-lying and comparatively young ice-caps was carried out on some islands to the east and south of Nordaustlandet.'

Valter Schytt also published YMER-80: A Swedish Expedition to the Arctic Ocean in The Geographical Journal.

Approximately five of these plaques were awarded to: Admiral Bengt Lundvall, Valter Schytt, Commander Anders Bollström, Professor Bo Grandien and Commodore Bertil Daggfeldt.

Bertil Daggfeldt was born on 15 August 1933 and graduated in Uppsala in 1952. He graduated as a Naval Officer at the Naval Academy in 1955, was appointed Ensign in the Swedish Navy the same year and was promoted to Lieutenant in 1957. Some of his early assignments were aboard Gotland during a long voyage and as ship commander on smaller minesweepers as well as serving at the Army's gymnastics and sports school and the Press Detail at the Marine Staff.

Training as a submariner he went on to serve in no less than seven different vessels of the Swedish 'Silent Service'. From 1960 he served at the Intelligence Department at the Marine Staff. He was promoted to Captain in 1964 and attended the Staff Course at the Military Academy, after which he was given command of the submarine Vargen . He studied at the École Supérieure de Guerre Navale in Paris in 1967-68 and attended the Cours Supérieure interarmées in 1968-69 and was Flag Adjutant in Flaggen 1969-70. From 1977-78 he commanded on the Älvsnabben during its long voyage via West Africa to Brazil, the West Indies and the United States. Promoted Commander, he was Head of the 1st Submarine Flotilla1978-81 and was then Deputy Chief of Staff in the Lower Norrland Military area 1981-83.

Daggfeldt was Aide-de-Camp to Carl XVI Gustaf, first when he was Crown Prince and then continued in 1973–78 after the ascension to the throne. He was subsequently the King's Chief Adjutant 1978–92, Lord Chamberlain and Deputy Master of Ceremonies from 1995 and Master of Ceremonies 1999–2002. In the years 1992–95 he was Secretary General of the General Defense Association.

Daggfeldt was elected in 1974 as a member of the Royal Naval Society. In his opening speech, he proposed an expedition with a Swedish icebreaker to the Arctic a century after the Vega expedition. One of the proposals for a research project was "Climatic changes through human impact on the environment". In 1980, the international research expedition Ymer-80 was carried out with the icebreaker Ymer. He was elected in 1980 as a member of the Royal Academy of Military Sciences.

Besides the Swedish Order of the Sword (1st Class), he was also the recipient of the Argentine Order of Merit, Icelandic Order of the Falcon and Norwegian Order of St Olav. He died on 4 January 2020.


Subject to 5% tax on Hammer Price in addition to 20% VAT on Buyer’s Premium.

Estimate
£300 to £500

Starting price
£250