As a sapper, Gordon had to map out the Russian fortifications at the city-fortress of Sevastopol, designed by the famous Russian military engineer, Eduard Totleben. Gordon visited the Seychelles in the summer of 1881 and decided the islands were the location of the Garden of Eden. [68], Every year, Gordon gave away about 90% of his annual income of 3,000 (equivalent to 351,000 in 2021) to charity. [256], Another attempt to debunk Gordon was Anthony Nutting's Gordon, Martyr & Misfit (1966). During his time in Anatolia, Gordon embraced the new technology of the camera to take what the Canadian historian C. Brad Faught called a series of "evocative photographs" of the people and landscape of Armenia. [60] Gordon's father was against his son working in Chinese service, an estrangement that had not been settled at the time of his death, and Gordon felt immense guilt that his father had died before they were reconciled. Other lives: Art lover who helped create a radio station, bank, orchestra and arboretum in his passion for making positive social change [48] Gordon also had the pleasure of defeating Burgevine (whom Gordon detested), who had raised a mercenary force and joined the Taipings. The men of the Gordon family had served as officers in the British Army for four generations, and as a son of a general, Gordon was raised to be the fifth generation; the possibility that Gordon would pursue anything other than a military career seems never to have been considered by his parents. The most popular account of Gordon's death was that he put on his ceremonial gold-braided blue uniform of the Governor-General together with the Pasha's red fez and that he went out unarmed, except with his rattan cane, to be cut down by the Ansar. [131] Gordon's very strong religious feelings led him to devote much time and money to charity both at home and abroad and he was well-known for sticking Christian tracts onto city walls and to throw them out of a train window. GORDON, George OBITUARY George M. Gordon June 19, 1947 - September 11, 2022 - September 11, 2022 [256] Like Strachey, Beatty found Gordon a ridiculous figure, but unlike Strachey, who had nothing but contempt for Gordon, Beatty's approach was a compassionate one, arguing that Gordon's many acts of charity and self-sacrifice were attempts to love others since he was unable to love himself. 22/01/2023 [147] Gordon saw his work in building forts to protect Mauritius from a possible Russian naval attack as pointless, and his main achievement during his time there was to advise the Crown to turn the Seychelles islands, whose beauty had greatly moved Gordon, into a new crown colony as Gordon argued it was impossible to govern the Seychelles from Port Louis. [56] The savage Taiping Rebellionwhich was the bloodiest war of the entire 19th century, taking somewhere between 20 and 30 million livesis largely forgotten in the West today, but at the time, the civil war in China attracted much media attention in the West, and Gordon's command of the Ever Victorious Army received much coverage from British newspapers. Order by Saturday. [196] For example, Wolseley could have hired Egyptian boatmen who knew the Nile to serve as river pilots instead of bringing over voyageurs from Canada, who knew nothing of the Nile, and moreover, Wolseley only called for the voyageurs after his arrival in Egypt. [193] Gordon wrote in his diary that Mohammed Aly had captured "a lad of 12 or 14 years of age, and the little chap spoke out boldly, and said he believed Mohamed Ahmed was the Mahdi and that we were dogs. [184] In his diary, Gordon wrote: "I own to having been very insubordinate to Her Majesty's Government and its officials, but it is my nature, and I cannot help it. [110], He accepted their offer, believing rather naively in Leopold's and Mackinnon's assurances their plans were purely philanthropic and they had no interest in exploiting Africans for profit[111] but the Khedive Isma'il Pasha wrote to him saying that he had promised to return, and that he expected him to keep his word. [180] At one point, Gordon suggested in a telegram to Gladstone that the notoriously corrupt Ottoman Sultan Abdul-Hamid II could be bribed into sending 3,000 Ottoman troops for the relief of Khartoum and if the British government was unwilling and/or unable to pay that amount, he was certain that either Pope Leo XIII or a group of American millionaires would be. He was born in Fortuna, CA 75 years ago to Winton and Evelyn Chase Gordon. You are all in my thoughts and prayers. Beloved husband of the late Sylvia, father of Stan (Rena Singer), adored brother of the late Hilda, Ruth, Lily, Bertha and Celia. [43] Gordon disembarked the 4th Regiment with orders to take Quinsan while he sailed up and down the main canal in the Hyson, using the 32-pounder gun to blast apart the Taiping positions on the canal. [56] A colleague recalled that Gordon's time at Gravesend was the "most peaceful and happy of his life", but Gordon was often bored, and constantly asked the War Office for an assignment to somewhere dangerous. [187] In his final months, Gordon oscillated between a longing for martyrdom and death versus an intense horror at the prospect of his own demise as the hour of his destruction rapidly approached. Dearly. Sign the Guest Book. The Reverend Gordon Graham has taken the biblical injunction to "consider the lilies of the field" to extremes. [47] Gordon had to impose strict discipline on the Ever Victorious Army and worked hard to prevent the Army from engaging in its tendency to loot and mistreat civilians. He. Husband of Daphne, much loved father and father-in-law of Bruce and Marsha, Don and . George was a 1957 graduate of Findlay High School. [95] The younger Russell was described by his own father as an alcoholic and spendthrift who "was beyond help" as it was always the "same story-idleness, self-indulgence, gambling, and constant promises" broken time after time, leading his father to get him a job in the Sudan, where his laziness infuriated Gordon to no end. [89], At the beginning of his reign in 1863, Egypt's debt had been 3 million Egyptian pounds. His moods were capricious and uncertain, his passions violent, his impulses sudden and inconsistent. The Cabinet felt highly uncomfortable with the appointment, as they had been pressured by the press to send a man who was opposed to their Sudan policy to take command there. In 1874, he built the station at Dufile on the Albert Nile to reassemble steamers carried there past rapids for the exploration of Lake Albert. Asher concludes: "He did not save the country from invasion or disaster, but among the British heroes of all ages, there is perhaps no other who stands out so prominently as an individualist, a man ready to die for his principles. [92] Urban wrote that most of the Westerners in Egyptian pay were "misfits" who took up Egyptian service because they were unable to get ahead in their own nations. It was a highly dangerous job that frequently put him under enemy fire, and led to him being wounded for the first time when a Russian sniper put a bullet into him. [124], In March 1880, Gordon recovered for a couple of weeks in the Hotel du Faucon in Lausanne, 3 Rue St Pierre, famous for its views on Lake Geneva and because several celebrities had stayed there, such as Giuseppe Garibaldi, one of Gordon's heroes,[125] and possibly one of the reasons Gordon had chosen this hotel. [219], In 1885, Gordon achieved the martyrdom he had been seeking at Khartoum as the British press portrayed him as a saintly Christian hero and martyr who had died nobly resisting the Islamic onslaught of the Mahdi. Obituaries & obituary notices in Glasgow. [37] Given Burgevine's alcoholism, open corruption, and tendency to engage in acts of mindless violence when drunk, the Chinese wanted "a man of good temper, of clean hands, and a steady economist" as his replacement. In 1902, it was placed at the junction of St Martin's Lane and Charing Cross Road in London. May you know God's Strength ,Peace and Comfort as you face the days ahead. It was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1890 and then erected in Brompton Barracks, Chatham, the home of the Royal School of Military Engineering, where it still stands. He was warm, steadfast, and peaceable. He thereafter received the honorific rank and title of pasha in the Ottoman aristocracy. quickly as possible. My Prayers are with all your family especially Nancy and children and Grandchildren. [62] Together with Mrs. Sarah Mackley, his housekeeper, he adapted two rooms at Fort House to serve as classrooms and basic needs resource rooms for boys living on the streets. [102] Faught argued that since no one else who knew Gordon in Equatoria described him in these terms, and given that Gordon's accusation that Chaill-Long was a spy for Aiyub Pasha seems to be justified, that Chaill-Long was engaging in character assassination as an act of revenge. During his time in Milford Haven, Gordon was befriended by a young couple, Francis and Anne Drew, who introduced him to evangelical Protestantism. [3] He was educated at Fullands School in Taunton, Taunton School, and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. Under the Chinese system of familial responsibility, all family members of a rebel were equally guilty even if they had nothing to do with the rebellious individual's acts. [116] Faught wrote that Gordon's plans were "farsighted and humane", but Baring had no interest in Gordon's plans to suspend the interest payments. [205] A chain-smoking Gordon constantly paced the roof of his palace during the day, looking vainly for smoke on the Nile indicating that the steamers were coming, while spending much of the rest of his time in prayer. [116], Gordon travelled north to Cairo to meet with Baring and suggest the solution that Egypt suspend its interest payments for several years to allow Isma'il to pay the arrears owed to his soldiers and civil servants, arguing that once the Egyptian government was stabilised, then Egypt could start paying its debts without fear of causing a revolution. Taught by his father to love the sea and all things nautical, George was a boater through and through. He was deeply loved by all who knew him and he will be dearly missed every day, with joyful anticipation of an eventual heavenly reunion. Dirk, a tall thin kindly gentleman was a Hebrew and followed the laws of both old and new testaments, observing Passover, the feast of Tabernacles and annual Holy Days on the family farm with other Hebrews. Share Obituary. To send flowers [65] Gordon often spoke nostalgically of his service in China, and wished he could return to that country.[70]. The French hoped that conquering the Sudan would allow them to lever the British out of Egypt, and thus restore Egypt to the French sphere of influence. On 5 August 1884, the House of Commons voted to send the relief force with a budget of 300,000. Sympathy Ideas. [215] When Gordon's head was unwrapped at the Mahdi's feet, he ordered the head transfixed between the branches of a tree "where all who passed it could look in disdain, children could throw stones at it, and the hawks of the desert could sweep and circle above. [87] With over half of Egypt's income going to pay the 7% interest on the debt worth 81 million Egyptian pounds that Isma'il had run up, the khedive was supportive of Gordon's plans for reform, but unable to do very much as he lacked the money to pay his civil servants and soldiers in Egypt, much less in the Sudan. [41], In March 1863, Gordon took command of the force at Songjiang, which had received the name of "Ever Victorious Army". The Sudan was judged to be not worth the huge financial costs it would have taken to conquer it, the same conclusion that the Liberals had reached. Family and friends are welcome to leave their condolences on this memorial page and share them with the family. He loved family gatherings, playing games and eating home-cooked meals, and he was never too full to enjoy a bowl of ice cream, his favourite treat. Authorize the publication of the original written obituary with the accompanying photo. He loved his Heavenly Father and his Saviour, and he was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for which he held many positions and worked faithfully in many capacities. Elated by these successes, Gordon wrote in his diary: "We are going to hold out here forever". His words started out with "I'm here to serve" and ended with those words, after humbly explaining all the amazing things he did at Sterling. I am the successor of God's Prophet and I have no need of any sultanate of Kordofan or anywhere else! [45] The next day, Quinsan fell to the 4th Regiment, which led a proud Gordon to write: "The rebels did not know its importance until they lost it". He was born in Fortuna, CA 75 years ago to Winton and Evelyn Chase Gordon. [102] Chaill-Long in return painted a very unflattering picture of Gordon in his 1884 book The Three Prophets, whom he portrayed as a bully, a raging alcoholic, an incompetent leader, and a rank coward. He will be lovingly remembered by Sybil, his wife of the past 32 years; his children Dale (Afton) of Las Vegas, Holly of Edmonton, Donald (Vivian) of Red Deer, Kenneth (Beverly) of Red Deer and Lorraine (Dick) Brantner of Wrentham, as well as numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren. [188] The Turkish troops at Khartoum were not part of the Ottoman Army, but rather bashi-bazouks, irregulars whom Gordon commented were good for raids, but useless for battle. [38] Li Hongzhang, the governor of the Jiangsu province, requested Staveley to appoint a British officer to command the contingent. [200] The defences Gordon had built with lines of earthwork, mines, and barbed wire presented the Ansar with much difficulty and their attempts to storm Khartoum failed, but the Ansar made good use of their Krupp artillery to gradually batter down the defences. [79] The South African minister, Dr. Peter Hammond, denied that Gordon was a homosexual, citing the numerous statements made by Gordon condemning homosexuality as an abomination, charging that the claim that Gordon was a homosexual was a theory with no foundation in fact. You used to tell me darn I can't hide when I used to come to your office with an issue. In him I found a dedicated and consummate professional who was unafraid to get his hands dirty and get the job done. [17], During his time in the Crimea, Gordon made a number of friendships that were to last for the rest of his life, most notably with Romolo Gessi, Garnet Wolseley, and Gerald Graham, all of whom would cross paths with Gordon several times in the future. [119] Gordon was met by Suleiman Zobeir, the son of Rahama Zobeir, and demanded in the name of the Khedive of Egypt that the rebels end their rebellion and accept the authority of their lord and master, telling Zobeir that he would "disarm and break them" if the rebellion did not end at once. The Mahdi is a messianic figure in Islam which tradition holds will appear at the dawn of every new (Islamic) century to strike down the enemies of Islam. [187] In one of the last letters Gordon had smuggled out, he wrote: "I expect Her Majesty's Government are in a precious rage with me for holding out, and so forcing their hands". [123], Gordon then tried another peace mission to Abyssinia. Due to seasonal conditions, the tree planting takes place during the spring and summer. [98], From Khartoum, he proceeded up the White Nile to Gondokoro. Add a photo or a video There is no photo or video of George Gordon. [192], Gordon had a low opinion of his enemy, writing that the Ansar besieging him were "some 500 determined men and some 2,000 rag-tag Arabs". He was always professional, approachable, kind, helpful and had an easy smile. [4] For the same services, he was appointed a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour by the Government of France on 16 July 1856. "[187], At another point, a death-obsessed Gordon wrote in his diary: "Better a bullet to the brain than to flicker out unheeded". [87], Gordon had come into conflict with the Egyptian governor of Khartoum and Sudan over his efforts to ban slavery. A funeral service will be held on Wednesday, March 8th 2023 at 11:00 AM at the St. Louis Church (13 E St Louis Pl, Batesville, IN 47006 . [144], Gordon returned to Britain and rented a flat on 8 Victoria Grove in London. [204] On arriving at Khartoum on 28 January, the reconnaissance gunboats found that the city had been captured and Gordon had been killed just two days before, coincidentally, two days before his 52nd birthday. The Mahdi contemptuously rejected Gordon's offer and sent back a letter demanding Gordon convert to Islam. [93], Typical of the men that Khedive Isma'il Pasha hired was Valentine Baker, a British Army officer dishonorably discharged after being convicted of raping a young woman in England that he had been asked to chaperon. George worked as a custodial supervisor in the Lincoln County School system. He is survived by George and Jacqueline Gordon; four nieces he helped raise and home school; Kohl Gordon Conner and her girls Ruth and Faith; his brother Thor Eric Downing. We can only speculate that his increasing religious devotion may have been an outward manifestation of an internal struggle against sexual temptation.[61]. Born Geoffrey George Gordon FitzClarence, he was the son of William FitzClarence, 2nd Earl of Munster (19 May 1824 - 30 April 1901) and Wilhelmina Kennedy-Erskine (27 June 1830 - 9 October 1906). [223] The body of the Mahdi was disinterred and beheaded. [112] Gordon agreed to return to Cairo, and was asked to take the position of Governor-General of the entire Sudan, which he accepted. Peacefully, in Migdale Hospital, Bonar Bridge, on Saturday, 18th February, 2023, Robert "Bobby" George Bain, The Bungalow, Lower Gledfield Farm, Ardgay. [240], Gordon's Tomb (in fact a cenotaph), which was carved by Frederick William Pomeroy, lies in St Paul's Cathedral, London. [32] He arrived at Tianjin in September 1860. The Funeral Service will be held at 11:00 AM, on Saturday, November 5, 2022 in THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS- KNIGHT STREET CHAPEL, 206E 200N. George was predeceased by his father, and is survived by his mother. [244], Charlton Heston played Gordon in the 1966 epic film Khartoum, which deals with the siege of Khartoum. In 1877, he wrote in a letter: "This life is only one of a series of lives which our incarnated part has lived. [174], The Mahdi ended his letter with the remark: "I am the Expected Mahdi and I do not boast! The true joy of George's life were his five beloved and oftentimes spoiled grandchildren: Maeve, Emmett, Isla, Felicity, and Nixon. He will be lovingly remembered by Sybil, his wife of the past 32 years; his . [88] Isma'il was a Muslim who loved Italian wine and French champagne, and many of his more conservative subjects in Egypt and the Sudan felt alienated by a regime that was determined to Westernise the country with little regard for tradition. Due to many aspects of the Taiping ideology resembling Chinese communism, the Taipings are treated sympathetically by Chinese historians who portray them as prototypical communists, with Hong Xiuquan foreshadowing Mao. Gordon was sickened by the poverty of the Irish farmers, which led him to write a six-page memo to the Prime Minister, William Gladstone, urging land reforms in Ireland. During his "career break" in the Holy Land, the very religious Gordon sought to explore his faith and biblical sites. [93], Reflecting these realities, Gordon had to undertake much of the administrative work himself, travelling ceaselessly and constantly all over the Sudan via camel in attempts to make the bureaucracy actually obey his orders, something that occurred when he was present, but stopped as soon as he left. In a House of Commons speech on 5 May 1948, then opposition leader Winston Churchill spoke out in favour of the statue's return to its original location: "Is the right honorable Gentleman [the Minister of Works] aware that General Gordon was not only a military commander, who gave his life for his country, but, in addition, was considered very widely throughout this country as a model of a Christian hero, and that very many cherished ideals are associated with his name? [133], In May, the Marquess of Ripon, who had been given the post of Governor-General of India, asked Gordon to go with him as private secretary.

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