Hans Bergsland

Hans Bergsland was the son of a fashion manufacturer and an Englishwoman. After graduating in humanities in 1901, Hans Bergsland studied economics in Germany, France, and England. From 1916 to 1922, he ran the company Peter Petersen & Co. He then served as chief executive of a rubber factory specialising in goloshes, which later became Tretorn Sweden, and was also a co-owner of a worsted spinning mill. Bergsland was a member of Bærum’s district council and a board member of the municipal cinematographer.

Bergsland was Norway’s best fencer in the early 20th century and, in 1906, founded the Oslo Fencing Club and, in 1911, the Norwegian Fencing Association, becoming president of both (1906-12, 1911-14, respectively). He represented Norway in épée at the 1908 and 1912 Olympic Games but without major success, and acted as a referee in fencing at the 1924 and 1936 Olympics. An avid skier, he was a member of the board of the Norwegian Tourist Association, where he was awarded their badge of honour. From 1914 to 1940, Bergsland helped to create a 5-mile skiing trail for the Holmenkollen ski events, and for his merits, he received the King’s Medal in gold and was made a knight of the French Legion of Honour.

His younger brother Jacob, who was a partner in Hans’ company, competed in fencing at the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam. In 1914, Hans Bergsland married Lucy Anette Egeberg with whom he had five children.