Distinguishing marks

Passport applications back in the day were not politically correct.  However, it's kind of cool for us to look back on them, as it gives some great additional information. 

Family member name: Herman Emanuel Wahlgren

Lifetime: 1866-1944
Tree branch: Bromley

Places lived: Sweden; Massachusetts
Relation: My 2x great-grandmother's husband

I have seen several pictures of my great-great grandmother's husband, Herman Wahlgren.  Although not my biological great-great-grandfather, he is the grandfather that my grandma knew.  They lived right down the road from her and saw each other often.  Each picture shows him as a distinguished older gentleman wearing a suit and tie.  Most often in a dapper hat.

However, his passport application gives another detail.  Under the area "Distinguishing marks" is written "Letters 'H.V.' tattooed on left..." and the page is cut off.  Left leg? Left arm? Not sure.  But I wonder if old Herman had a wild side as a younger man, or perhaps was in the Swedish navy.

Why H.V. when his name was Herman Wahlgren?  In Swedish, there is no letter W.  In rare cases where there is a W, it is pronounced as a V.  So I wonder if his name was Vahlgren?

Maybe some further digging will reveal those answers.  For now, it's nice to have a little more insight into my grandma's grandpa.