[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. For these accomplishments, he was given the nickname "Chinese Gordon" and honours from both the Emperor of China and the British. [166] The man behind the campaign was the Adjutant General, Sir Garnet Wolseleya skilled media manipulator who often leaked information to the press to effect changes in policyand who was strongly opposed to Gladstone's policy of pulling out of the Sudan. George was a wise, strong, hardworking, and unfailingly kind man. With Egypt bankrupt, the money to carry out the reforms Gordon wanted was not there. He is greatly missed by all who were touched by his intellectual kindness. Many of Gordon's papers were saved and collected by his two sisters, Helen Clark Gordon, who married Gordon's medical colleague in China, Dr. Moffit, and Mary Augusta, and possibly his niece Augusta, who married Gerald Henry Blunt. "[204] On 14 December 1884, Gordon wrote the last entry in his diary, which read: "Now MARK THIS, if the Expeditionary Force and I ask for no more than two hundred men, does not come in ten days, the town may fall; and I have done my best for the honour of our country. You will be taken to the charity's website to process your payment. [77] Together with his sister Augusta, Gordon often prayed to be released from their "vile bodies" in which their spirits were "imprisoned" so that their souls might be joined with God. [176], Gordon's abrupt mood swings and contradictory advice confirmed the Cabinet's view of him as mercurial and unstable. His parents were first cousins, thus making Geoffrey a great-grandson of William IV twice over. [174] Shortly afterwards, Gordon wrote what Urban called a "bizarre" letter to the Mahdi telling him to accept the authority of the Khedive of Egypt and offered him the chance to work as one of Gordon's provincial governors. [172] Baring disapproved of sending Gordon to the Sudan, writing in a report to London that: "A man who habitually consults the Prophet Isaiah when he is in a difficulty is not apt to obey the orders of anyone". George was such a great guy. It was removed in 1958, shortly after the Sudan became independent. [99] Joining Gordon on the journey to Equatoria was his old friend Romolo Gessi and a former US Army officer, Charles Chaill-Long, who did not get along well with Gordon. [132], Gordon rejected Leopold's offers, partly because he was still emotionally attached to the Sudan and partly because he disliked the idea of working for Leopold's Congo Association, which was a private company owned by the King. [43] Gordon always preferred to outflank the Taiping lines rather than to take them on frontally, an approach that caused much tension with his counterparts in the Chinese Imperial Army who did not share Gordon's horror at the huge numbers of casualties caused by frontal assaults. Planting will take place in Spring or Summer of the same year. [157] In 1882, nationalist rage in Egypt against Baring's economic policies led to the revolt by Colonel Urabi Pasha, which was put down by Anglo-Egyptian troops. Many have seen the attempt to save Emin Pasha, a German doctor-biologist-botanist who had converted from Judaism first to Lutheranism and then (possibly) to Islam, and who had not been particularly famous in Europe until then, as a consolation prize for Gordon. Nutting made the controversial claim that the basis of Gordon's death wish was that he was gay, noting that Gordon never married, is not known to have had a relationship with any women, and often wished that he had been born a eunuch, which strongly suggested that Gordon wished to have no sexual desires at all. [216] The massacre was finally halted by orders of the Mahdi. In 1878, Gordon fired the governor of Equatoria for corruption and replaced him with his former chief medical officer from his time in Equatoria, Dr. Emin Pasha, who had earned Gordon's respect. [213], A merchant, Bordeini Bey, glimpsed Gordon standing on the palace steps in a white uniform looking into the darkness. George Gordon, 75, of Wesley Chapel, Florida, passed away September 11, 2022 from complications related to Multiple System Atrophy and Parkinson's Disease. [94] John Russell, the son of the famous war correspondent William Howard Russell, was another European recruited to serve on Gordon's staff. [18] The casualties on the Allied side were quite high that day. Funeral Home website by, Christensen Salmon Generations Funeral Home. Let them take an idea into their heads and nothing will take it out. Allah Himself is merciful to you". [169] Gladstone had gone to his estate at Hawarden to recover from illness and thus was not present at the meeting on 18 January where Gordon was given the Sudan command, but he was under the impression that Gordon's mission was advisory, whereas the four ministers present at the meeting had given Gordon the impression that his mission was executive in nature. [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. Celebrate the life of George Gordon, leave a kind word or memory and get funeral service information. As late as 1933, the French historian Pierre Crabits wrote in his book Gordon, le Soudan et l'esclavage (Gordon, the Sudan and Slavery) that as a Frenchman, the Gordon legend had meant nothing to him when he began researching his book, but after examining all of the historical evidence, he could not help but admire Gordon, who "died as he lived, a Christian, a gentleman, and a soldier". In the months before the fall of Khartoum, Gordon and the Mahdi corresponded; Gordon offered him the Sultanate of Kordofan and the Mahdi requested Gordon to convert to his religion and join him, to which Gordon replied abruptly: "No! Share Your Memories and Sympathies and Join the Bereaved! Gord was a fun-loving Uncle to five nephews and one . He loved Nancy, his cherished wife of 39 years, as Christ loved the church. Im grateful to Finally, after much prompting on Stead's part, Gordon opened up and attacked Gladstone's Sudan policy, coming out for an intervention to defeat the Mahdi. The clash led to Gordon informing the Khedive that he did not wish to return to the Sudan, and he left for London. [256], Another attempt to debunk Gordon was Anthony Nutting's Gordon, Martyr & Misfit (1966). A memorial service, conducted by the Bishop of Newcastle, was held at St. Paul's Cathedral on 14 March. [218] Stones were thrown at the windows at 10 Downing Street as Gladstone was denounced as the "Murderer of Gordon", the Judas figure who betrayed the Christ-like figure of Gordon. During this time in Khartoum, Gordon befriended Irish journalist Frank Powers, The Times (London) correspondent in the Sudan. [98], After a short stay in Cairo, Gordon proceeded to Khartoum via Suakin and Berber. know George was a good and faithful servant of the Lord , and our parting will only be for a little while. williams, clive anthony williams, eileen mabel wilson, radcliffe wood, edwin clifford woodgate, barry reginald james. [85] In 1872, Gordon was sent to inspect the British military cemeteries in the Crimea, and when passing through Constantinople, he made the acquaintance of the Prime Minister of Egypt, Raghib Pasha. The repression of Gordon's sexual instincts helped to release a flood of celibate energy which drove him into weird beliefs, eccentric activities, and a sometimes misplaced confidence in his own judgement. Baker met with great difficulties and managed little beyond establishing a few posts along the Nile. He claimed that his army service and frequent travels to dangerous places made it impossible for him to marry. [177] Gordon's attempt to have his former archenemy Zobeirthe "King of the Slavers" whom he had hunted for years and whose son he had executedinstalled as the new Sultan of the Sudan appalled Gladstone and offended his former admirers in the Anti-Slavery Society. May you know God's Strength ,Peace and Comfort as you face the days ahead. Queen Victoria sent him a telegram of rebuke which found its way into the press. Order by 3:00PMThe day before, SAT & SUN [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. The prince keeps a great state and I was introduced to him with much ceremony. [146] On the island of Praslin in the Valle de Mai, Gordon believed that he found the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the form of a coco de mer tree which fruit bore a close resemblance to a woman's body. [17] Gordon spent much time in "the Quarries", as the British called their section of the trenches, facing Sevastopol. The Mahdi had given strict orders to his three Khalifas not to kill Gordon. He was a committed and valued friend and colleague for over thirty years at Sterling Marking Products. At Tamai on 13 March 1884, Graham was attacked by the Haddendowa (whom the British nicknamed "Fuzzy Wuzzies") whom he defeated, but in the course of the battle, the Haddendowa broke a Black Watch square, an action later celebrated in the Kipling poem "Fuzzy-Wuzzy". [12] Even an observer as sympathetic as Winston Churchill wrote about Gordon: "Mercury uncontrolled by the force of gravity was not on several occasions more unstable than Charles Gordon. [217], The failure to rescue General Gordon's force in Sudan was a major blow to Prime Minister Gladstone's popularity. American historian James Perry wrote: "But instead of following instructions, he stayed put, longing for martyrdom. In memory: Patrick Joseph Guignard Patrick Joseph Guignard, a longtime Prince George resident and logging company owner, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his family on March 16 at the. file size: 2 MB. Send Flowers. George Thomas GORDON. NEWS has reached us of the death of this veteran geologist, at the advanced age of 92. 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. There was many an early Sunday morning where I would have to phone him at home with some technical issue. Gordon clashed repeatedly with Prince Chun, the leader of the war party in Beijing, who rejected Gordon's advice to seek a compromise solution as Gordon warned that the powerful Russian naval squadron in the Yellow Sea would allow the Russians to land at Tianjin and advance on Beijing. Planting will take place in Spring of the following year. [80] The British historian, Paul Mersh, has suggested that Gordon was not a homosexual, but rather his awkwardness with women was due to Asperger syndrome, which made it extremely difficult for him to express his feelings for women properly. Always kind Only when public pressure to act had become irresistible did the government, with reluctance, send a relief force. We played hockey together. Gordon had gone to the Sudan with high hopes that via his iron will and Christian faith he would defeat the Ottoman-Egyptian system of rule, that he would act as a reformer who would change the system from within to make what was unjust, just, and that he would make things better for the ordinary people of the Sudan. [72] Gordon's parents expected him to marry and were disappointed about his lifelong bachelorhood. Funeral: 15 Mar 2023, Dewsbury. [16] He was put to work in the Siege of Sevastopol and took part in the assault of the Redan from 18 June to 8 September. You rest easy my friend. Their wishes for cremation have been honored. We will forever be changed by both your life and your sudden absence in ours. George M. Gordon Obituary. We always teased each other on and off the ice Im really going to miss you George. [224] This symbolic decapitation echoed General Gordon's death at the hands of the Mahdist forces in 1885. [18], Gordon spent thirty-four consecutive days in the trenches around Sevastopol, and earned a reputation as an able and brave young officer. [192], During this time, Gordon, when he was not organising the besieged garrison with incredible energy, spent his time writing a somewhat rambling diary containing his reflections on the siege, life, fate, and his own intense, idiosyncratic version of Protestantism. Liberal government delivered on Friday $3 million to the Omineca Beetle Action Coalition to be used during the next three years to implement a . Share. 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. [113], As governor, Gordon faced a variety of challenges. Sign the Guest Book. [63] Gordon's closest friends were a couple, Frederick and Octavia Freese, whose son Edward, became Gordon's surrogate son. I have little doubt of our having pre-existed; and that also in the time of our pre-existence we were actively employed. When he and his wife started attending Summerside Church this year, I was blessed to meet him in person. Some of the voyageurs who arrived in Egypt turned out to be lawyers led by an alderman from Toronto who wanted to see "the fun" of war and were useless as boatmen. The long exploitation of the Sudan by Egypt led many Sudanese to rally to the Mahdi's black banner as he promised to expel the Egyptians, whom Ahmed denounced as apostates, and he announced he would establish an Islamic fundamentalist state marking a return to the "pure Islam" said to have been practised in the days of the Prophet Mohamed in Arabia. [46] After the battle, Gordon was hailed as a liberator from the Taipings by the ordinary Chinese people. [97] Baker's annual salary as governor of Equatoria had been 10,000 (Egyptian pounds, about US$1 million in today's money) and Ismail was astonished when Gordon refused that salary, saying that 2,000 per year was more than enough for him. [164] Urban wrote: "With this leader, William Stead's real motive in going to Southampton revealed itself at last. 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.