Sir Gordon Downey, who has died aged 93, leaves a substantial legacy of parliamentary and government scrutiny. [155] He accepted and returned to London to make preparations, but soon after his arrival, the British requested that he proceed immediately to the Sudan, where the situation had deteriorated badly after his departure another revolt had arisen, led by the self-proclaimed Mahdi, Mohammed Ahmed. Funeral services will be 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, January 4, 2022 at the Jurrens Funeral Home in George, IA with Pastor Jeremy Winter, officiating. This man's activity with the scientific knowledge which he possesses is doubtless able to achieve much, but unfortunately, no one backs him up and his orders are badly carried out or altered in such a way as to render them without effect. A second and larger expedition under Prince Hassan was sent the following year and was routed at Gura. [244], Charlton Heston played Gordon in the 1966 epic film Khartoum, which deals with the siege of Khartoum. [89], At the beginning of his reign in 1863, Egypt's debt had been 3 million Egyptian pounds. Echovita Inc is a registered trademark. Queen Victoria sent him a telegram of rebuke which found its way into the press. quickly as possible. He entered the service of the Khedive of Egypt in 1873 (with British government approval) and later became the Governor-General of the Sudan, where he did much to suppress revolts and the local slave trade. Suddenly at home on Wednesday 25 January 2017; aged 86 years. 1Corinthians 15:54 . [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. The garrison at Berber surrendered in May, and Khartoum was completely isolated. After meeting his old friend, Gordon assured Li that if Russia should attack he would resign his commission in the British Army to take up a commission in the Chinese Army, an action that if taken, risked prosecution under the Foreign Enlistments Act. [209] As dawn broke on the morning of 26 January 1885, the Ansar regiments, led by their riflemen and followed by their spearmen, marched out of their camps under their black banners. George was predeceased by his father, and is survived by his mother. May peace be with the entire Gordon Family during this sorrowful time. Unexpectedly at home on Wednesday 25th January 2017. [261], Equatoria: Building Egypt's empire in the Great Lakes region, Nicoll, Fergus and Nusairi, Osman (last updated 2020), Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, "General Charles Gordon and the Mahdi Faith Under Fire in the Sudan", "Charles George Gordon (18331885): A Brief Biography", "Charles Gordon's Charitable Works: An Appreciation", "Last Stands, Custer, General Gordon, and Being a Christian Warrior", "Did General Charles Gordon Have Aspergers Syndrome? [38] Moreover, Burgevine made little effort to hide his racism, and his relations with the Chinese were very difficult at the best of times. [159], On 35 November 1883, the Ansar (whom the British called "Dervishes"), as the Mahdi's followers were known, destroyed the Egyptian army of 8,000 under Colonel Hicks at El Obeid, with only about 250 Egyptians surviving and Hicks being one of the slain. [209] The Ansar took no prisoners and all of the approximately 7,000 defenders were killed. George was many things, most of which I did not know, but he was above all a good and honest man. [149], Being unemployed, Gordon decided to go to Palestine, which at the time was part of the Ottoman vilayet of Syria,[150] a region he had long desired to visit, where he would remain for a year (188283). [87], The French-educated Isma'il Pasha greatly admired Europe as the model for excellence in everything, being an especially passionate Italophile and Francophile, saying at the beginning of his reign: "My country is no longer in Africa, it is now in Europe". He won legal cases in the Federal District 9th Circuit Court and the Supreme Court all based on religious free exercise. Pallbearers will be some of Gordon's beloved nephews. [18] The casualties on the Allied side were quite high that day. I know how much he meant to you and us here at Sterling. George J Gordon III (Trey) of Azle, TX passed away May 1, 2022. [94], The siege of Khartoum by the Mahdist forces, commanded by the Mahdi himself, started on 18 March 1884. The Foreign Secretary, Lord Grenville, wondered if they had just committed a "gigantic folly". [69] Gordon did not enjoy his celebrity status, and though extremely charismatic, he only kept a limited circle of friends and found dealing with strangers difficult. He was a lifelong resident of the Ozarks and of Isabella since 1968. Sympathy Ideas. I wish there was anything I could do to help take away some of your pain. [12], Gordon had a strong death wish, and clearly wanted to die fighting at Khartoum, writing in a letter to his sister: "I feel so very much inclined to wish it His will might be my release. [159] The Ansar captured a large number of Remington rifles and ammunition cases together with many Krupp artillery guns and their shells. [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. Earth's joys grow very dim, its glories have faded". [103] The heat greatly affected Gordon as he wrote to his sister Augusta, "This is a horrid climate, I seldom if ever get a good sleep". [51], Gordon refused all these gifts and wrote on the Emperor's silk message: "Major Gordon receives the approbation of His Majesty the Emperor with every gratification, but regrets most sincerely that owing to the circumstances which occurred since the capture of Soochow, he is unable to receive any mark of His Majesty the Emperor's recognition". [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. An Egyptian expedition was completely defeated near Gundet. [71] The Dictionary of National Biography described Gordon as a great "boy lover". When Gordon first arrived at the city of Galatz (modern Galai, Romania) in the Ottoman protectorate of Moldavia, he called the city "very dusty and not desirable at all as a place of residence". [170], Gladstone felt that this was a deft political move. George will be deeply missed by everyone, especially his grandchildren. No; the conscience of the nation felt that a strain rested upon it". Baker met with great difficulties and managed little beyond establishing a few posts along the Nile. In 1902, it was placed at the junction of St Martin's Lane and Charing Cross Road in London. [146] Having been to all of those places and thus speaking with some authority, Gordon announced the "scandal" of poverty in Ireland could only be ended if the government were to buy the land from the Ascendency families, as the Anglo-Irish elite was known, and give it to their poor Irish tenant farmers. These aims eluded him.[93][114]. JAMIE WYBLE OBITUARY. Karen and I were shocked and saddened to hear of Georges passing. He devoted himself fully to being a wonderful father to his three sons, Thomas, Greg, and Curtis, raising them up to be men of strong faith and good character. Yes, these are people struggling to be free and rightly struggling to be free". [203], In 1982, a documentary on Gordon's life was written and presented by the actor and historian Robert Hardy, entitled "Gordon of Khartoum". 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. George worked as a custodial supervisor in the Lincoln County School system. My sincerest condolences to the Gordon family for their loss. In 1869, Isma'il spent 2 million Egyptian pounds (the equivalent to $300 million U.S. dollars in today's money) just on the party to celebrate the opening of the Suez Canal, in what was described as the party of the century. He was so erratic, capricious, utterly unreliable, his mood changed so often, his temper was abominable, he was frequently drunk, and yet with all that, he had a tremendous sense of honour and great abilities". Gordon declined all honours of financial gain, writing: "I know I shall leave China as poor as I entered it, but with the knowledge that, through my weak instrumentality, upwards of eighty to one hundred thousand lives have been spared. In defiance of those instructions, after evacuating about 2,500 civilians he retained a smaller group of soldiers and non-military men. George was a wise, strong, hardworking, and unfailingly kind man. With Egypt under British rule, the British also inherited the problems of Egypt's colony, the Sudan, which the Egyptians were losing control of to the Mahdi. Always giving 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". [8] He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Royal Engineers on 23 June 1852,[9] completing his training at Chatham, and he was promoted to full lieutenant on 17 February 1854. George, He ran Gordon's Flea Market for over 50 years and was the owner of Gordon's Construction Company. Gordon was a valued member of the West Michigan community and made a tremendous impact on Grand Valley. Gordon despite or rather, because of his war hero status disliked publicity and tried to avoid the press when he was in Britain. How I look forward to their disbandment". [257], Nutting contended that the conflict between Gordon's devoutly-held Christian ideals and his sexuality made Gordon deeply ashamed of himself and he attempted to expiate his wretched, sinful nature by seeking a glorious death in battle. I shall hold on here as long as I can, and if I can suppress the rebellion, I shall do so. We will strive to make you proud, and continue the Gordon legacy of faith you began. [30] In 1860, Gordon volunteered to serve in China, in the Second Opium War. The American historian John Semple Galbraith described Gordon as suffering from "utter boredom" during his time in Mauritius. [56], Gordon returned to Britain and commanded the Royal Engineers' project around Gravesend, Kent, to erect forts for the defense of the River Thames. [51] Gordon wrote a letter home that his losses were "no joke" as 48 of his 100 officers and about 1,000 of 3,500 soldiers had been killed or wounded in action. 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. 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. George was a 1957 graduate of Findlay High School. [51] A Scotsman who knew Gordon in China wrote: "he shows the Chinese that if even an able and reliable man, such as he is, is unmanageable". 22/01/2023 It was removed in 1943. [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. [69], King Leopold II then asked Gordon again to take charge of the Congo Free State. 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". Condolences to George's family. It was removed in 1958, shortly after the Sudan became independent. The recent death of one of Mississippi's best-known names in the business world George Bryan of West . After meeting Gordon in 1874, the Khedive Isma'il had said: "What an extraordinary Englishman! Gordon died May 21 at age 96. [195] Wolseley was a bureaucratic general whose talents lay in administrative work, and as a field commander, Wolseley was slow, methodical, and cautious, making him, in the opinion of Urban, supremely unqualified to lead the relief expedition as he found one excuse after another to proceed up the Nile at a sluggish pace. "[187], At another point, a death-obsessed Gordon wrote in his diary: "Better a bullet to the brain than to flicker out unheeded". View Tribute Book. To plant a tree in memory of George GORDON / GEORGE / HANSLOW, please visit Tribute Store . [40], The mercenaries of the Ever Victorious Army, comprising some of the worst social elements of Chinese society, were notorious for their practice, whenever they marched into a new district, of stealing everything while raping all of the women, leading Gordon to impose harsh discipline, with those soldiers accused of looting or rape being summarily shot. [224] This symbolic decapitation echoed General Gordon's death at the hands of the Mahdist forces in 1885. file size: 2 MB. You are all in my thoughts and prayers. [163] Gordon offered up a 19th-century anticipation of the domino theory, claiming: The danger arises from the influence which the spectacle of a conquering Mahometan Power established close to your frontiers will exercise upon the population which you govern. Funeral: 21 Mar 2023, Dewsbury. GORDON, George Thomas (Ex Fire Control Services) Peacefully at Ellerslie Gardens Resthome on Tuesday 26 April 2016. Always trusting [207] Gordon defiantly told the merchant: "Go tell all the people of Khartoum that Gordon fears nothing, for God has created him without fear! The soldiers of the Egyptian Army were falln (peasant) conscripts who were both ill-paid and ill-trained. It arrived two days after the city had fallen and Gordon had been killed. Please know Nancy that you and the family are in our thoughts and prayers that God would walk with you through this difficult time. He is an honest man, but difficult to get on with. He was warm, steadfast, and peaceable. He was first and foremost a passionate follower of Jesus Christ and lived his life in humble but firm faith, pressing on towards the upward call he felt from a young age. Family and friends are welcome to send flowers or leave their condolences on this memorial page and share them with the family. He was present during the capture of Peking and at the destruction of the Summer Palace. In all the cities of Egypt, it will be felt that what the Mahdi has done, they may do; and, as he has driven out the intruder, they may do the same. [40] Gordon designed the uniform for the Ever Victorious Army, which consisted of black boots together with turbans, jackets, and trousers that were all green, while his personal bodyguard of 300 men wore blue uniforms. Gordon passed away peacefully Monday, October 31 at theglorious age of 91, at Good Samaritan Prairie Ridge in Raymond. A visitation will be held on Wednesday, September 7, 2022 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Northview Funeral Chapel and Cremation Centre, 1490 Highbury Avenue North, London, where George's Life will be celebrated on Thursday, September 8 at 11:00 a.m. Interment of cremated remains at Pond Mills Cemetery. In his 62nd year, George Gordon passed unexpectedly into the presence of his Lord and Saviour. He will also be lovingly remembered by his stepchildren, Sue (Delon) Shurtz of Raymond, Roy (Shannon) West of Hamilton, Ont., Paul (Mary) West of Lacombe, and Beth (Milo) Holthe of Glenwood. [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. [199] The Pall Mall Gazette, in a front page leader, wrote that Gordon stood "out in clear relief against the Eastern sky. So, therefore, I believe in our active employment in a future life, and I like the thought. [222], Egypt had been in the French sphere of influence until 1882 when the British had established control over Egypt. All the Europeans, with some rare exceptions, whom he has honoured with his confidence have cheated him. In the article, Stallard pointed to the egalitarianistic attitudes displayed by Gordon towards the Chinese, and argued that if Chinese historians paid closer attention to the activities of Gordon in China, it would improve Anglo-Chinese relations. [168] Gordon and Wolseley were good friends (Wolseley being one of the people Gordon prayed for every night), and after a meeting with Wolseley at the War Office to discuss the crisis in the Sudan, Gordon left convinced that he had to go to the Sudan to "carry out the work of God". Mr. Pinsent, who was long famous in Canada, but who did not gain wider international recognition until one of his final performances, in the 2006 film "Away From Her," died on Feb. 25 in . [10] The sappers were an elite corps who performed reconnaissance work, led storming parties, demolished obstacles in assaults, and undertook rear-guard actions in retreats and other hazardous tasks. OBITUARY George M. Gordon June 19, . [187], By the end of 1884, both the garrison and the population of Khartoum were starving to death; there were no horses, donkeys, cats, or dogs left in Khartoum as the people had eaten all of them. [114] The reforms that Gordon wanted would have changed the basic nature of Ottoman-Egyptian rule, by replacing a system based on exploitation of the people by the state with one where the state would work for the betterment of the people. [43], Gordon's breakthrough caught the rebel army off guard and caused thousands of the enemy to panic and flee. (151 W George St, Batesville, IN 47006). [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. Home Obituaries Locations Harrisburg, PA Pittsburg, PA . In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Raymond Stampede and Exhibition or to the Canadian Cancer Society. He was kind and caring person and we are blessed to have known him. I will keep him in my thoughts and prayers all the time. [101] Gordon also clashed with Chaill-Long, whom he accused of working as an informant for Aiyub Pasha and called him to his face a "regular failure". Even more importantly, Gordon had given his word of honour that all of the Taipings who surrendered would be well-treated, and regarded the massacre as a stain on his honour. [174] Gordon sent a telegram to Khartoum reading: "Don't be panic-stricken. Funeral services 8:30 a.m. Friday, June 28 from the Dain-Cullinan Funeral Home and at 9 a.m. in St. Paul's Churc It underwent a series of name changes until 1941 when it moved to its current location in Bloomburg Street, Westminster, as the Gordon Hospital. [253], Strachey, a member of the Bloomsbury Group of intellectuals, depicted Gordon as a ludicrous figure, a bad-tempered, deranged egomaniac with a nasty habit of knocking out Arabs whenever he was unhappy, and who led himself into disaster. He was born April 5, 1967, and resided in Baker, LA, until moving to Baton Rouge after marriage in 1988. [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. "[231] The memorial is a Grade II listed building. GORDON, George Colburn. Burial was on the family farm, Isabella, under Wilkinson Knob, which was his wish. 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. [12], Gordon was first assigned to construct fortifications at Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, Wales. 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. Obituaries act as quiet reminders of the finite nature of our lives. [136], An exchange of telegrams ensued between the War Office in London and Gordon in Bombay about just what exactly he was planning on doing in China, and when Gordon replied that he would find out when he got there, Gordon was ordered to stay. Always joyful Grief Support. 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. [56] The British Army promoted Gordon to lieutenant-colonel on 16 February 1864,[57] and he was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath on 9 December 1864. [188], The Shaggyeh (one of the few Arab tribes who did not rally to the Mahdi) drove Gordon to distraction, with Gordon writing in his diary about them: "Dreadful lot!
