[167], In 1880, the Liberals had won the general election on a platform of overseas retrenchment, and Gladstone had put his principles into practice by withdrawing from the Transvaal and Afghanistan in 1881. Jamie Wyble passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on February 24, 2023, at the age of 55 after a very brief battle with brain cancer. [103] A major problem for Gordon was malaria, which decimated his men, and led him to issue the following order: "Never let the mosquito curtain out of your sight, it is more valuable than your revolver". OBITUARY George M. Gordon June 19, 1947 - September 11, 2022 - September 11, 2022 George was a 1957 graduate of Findlay High School. Gordon Hoekstra Apr 15, 2011 1:00 AM. know George was a good and faithful servant of the Lord , and our parting will only be for a little while. My sincerest condolences to the Gordon family for their loss. [217], The failure to rescue General Gordon's force in Sudan was a major blow to Prime Minister Gladstone's popularity. Gordon believed in reincarnation. Tribute will contact you if there are any issues. [12], The British government asked Gordon to go to Khartoum to report on the best method of carrying out the evacuation. Deepest condolences for George's loss and my heartfelt sympathy to family and friends at this sad time. Lorraine was born June 16, 1928 in Rochester the daughter of John and Edna (Brugger) Angie. Gladstone told the Cabinet that the public cared much about Gordon and nothing about the Sudan, so he ordered Wolseley home after learning of Gordon's death. [249], As a young man, Winston Churchill shared in the national consensus that Gordon was one of Britain's greatest heroes. [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. I wish there was anything I could do to help take away some of your pain. Isabella, MO 65676. [198], On 24 January, two of the steamers, under Sir Charles Wilson, carrying 20 soldiers of the Sussex Regiment wearing red tunics to clearly identify them as British, were sent on a purely reconnaissance mission to Khartoum, with orders from Wolseley not to attempt to rescue Gordon or bring him ammunition or food. [49], As Gordon travelled up and down the Yangtze River valley, he was appalled by the scenes of poverty and suffering he saw, writing in a letter to his sister: "The horrible furtive looks of the wretched inhabitants hovering around one's boats haunts me, and the knowledge of their want of nourishment would sicken anyone; they are like wolves. [90] During the American Civil War, when the Union blockade had cut off the American South from the world economy, the price of Egyptian cotton, known as "white gold" had skyrocketed as British textile mills turned to Egypt as an alternative source of cotton, causing an economic blossoming of Egypt that ended abruptly in 1865. A memorial service, conducted by the Bishop of Newcastle, was held at St. Paul's Cathedral on 14 March. 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. A graveside service was held for Dirk at the family farm March 7, 2014 in Isabella, MO. 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. Loved husband of Betty for 66 years. [160] While staying with his sister in Southampton, Gordon received an unexpected visitor, namely William Thomas Stead, the editor of The Pall Mall Gazette, to whom Gordon reluctantly agreed to give an interview. [11], As an officer, Gordon showed strong charisma and leadership, but his superiors distrusted him on account of his tendency to disobey orders if he felt them to be wrong or unjust. This is the figure which, since April 1959, stands at the Gordon's School in Woking. George was a wise, strong, hardworking, and unfailingly kind man. [219], Many biographies have been written of Gordon, most of them highly hagiographic, such as the one by William Butler. [107] Gordon wrote in a letter to his sister about the Africans living a "life of fear and misery", but in spite of the "utter misery" of Equatoria that, "I like this work". [37], Gordon then made a rapprochement with Li and visited him in order to arrange for further operations. In his 62nd year, George Gordon passed unexpectedly into the presence of his Lord and Saviour. [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 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. [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. [12] This account was very popular with the British press as it contained much Christian imagery with Gordon as a Christlike figure dying passively for the sins of all humanity. The site lies north of the traditional site at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and is now known as "The Garden Tomb", or sometimes as "Gordon's Calvary". [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. Never expected [212], Gordon died on the steps of a stairway in the northwestern corner of the palace, where he and his body servant, Agha Khalil Orphali, had been firing at the enemy. [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. Public opinion would be satisfied with "Chinese Gordon" going to the Sudan, but at the same time, Gordon was given such a limited mandate that the evacuation would proceed as planned. [209] The Ansar took no prisoners and all of the approximately 7,000 defenders were killed. GEORGE GORDON OBITUARY GORDON, George Colburn. [174] Gordon sent a telegram to Khartoum reading: "Don't be panic-stricken. Gordon". [14] Before 1870, there was no universal school system in Britain, and the Ragged Schools were a network of privately-funded schools that gave a free education to children whose parents were too poor to afford the school fees. Staveley decided to clear the rebels within 30 miles (48km) of Shanghai in co-operation with Ward and a small French force. [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. [59], On 2 March 1880, on his way from London to Switzerland, Gordon had visited King Leopold II of Belgium in Brussels and was invited to take charge of the Congo Free State. [192] Gordon's armoured steamers continued to sail in and out of Khartoum with little difficulty for the first six months of the siege, and it was not until September 1884 that the armoured steamers first had trouble reaching the city. [187] Even if the relief force had reached him, it is not clear if he would have left Khartoum, as Gordon wrote in his diary: "If any emissary or letter comes up here ordering me to come down I WILL NOT OBEY IT, BUT WILL STAY HERE, AND FALL WITH THE TOWN! George Gordon Obituary We are sad to announce that on May 13, 2020, at the age of 51, George Gordon (Raymore, Saskatchewan) passed away. "[129] Gordon was an ardent Christian cosmologist, who also believed that the Garden of Eden was on the island of Praslin in the Seychelles. At the beginning of 1884, Gordon had no interest in the Sudan and had just been hired to work as an officer with the newly-established Congo Free State. Urban wrote that, "Newspaper readers in Bolton or Beaminister had become enraged by stories about chained black children, cruelly abducted, being sold into slave markets", and Gordon's anti-slavery efforts contributed to his image as a saintly man. May peace be with the entire Gordon Family during this sorrowful time. 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. Love, He attended schools in Ferndale and Eureka, CA. [248], In the 20th century, many British military leaders came to have a critical view of Gordon, with Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery writing that Gordon was "unfit for independent command, mentally unbalanced, a fanatic, self-imposed martyr", adding that he should never have been sent to the Sudan and the GladstoneGordon relationship was a case study in dysfunctional civilmilitary relations. Ever since the realisation of the sacrament, I have been turned upside down". He was predeceased by Beverly Fletcher, his first wife of 35 years, his parents, three brothers, four sisters and one granddaughter. Dirk was an avid photographer and winner of awards, and a law school instructor working right up to the time of his death. [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". [87] Before Gordon boarded the ship at Alexandria that was to take him home, he sent off a series of long telegrams to various ministers in London full of Biblical verse and quotations that he claimed offered the solution to all of the problems of modern life. Powers was delighted that the charismatic Gordon had no anti-Catholic prejudices and treated him as an equal. The best evidence suggests that Gordon went out to confront the enemy, gunned down several of the Ansar with his revolver and, after running out of bullets, drew his sword only to be shot down. [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. [241][242], The Church Missionary Society (CMS) work in Sudan was undertaken under the name of the Gordon Memorial Mission. It was such a gift to have had known you. Special thanks to the caring staff of Good Samaritan Prairie Ridge and the Raymond Health Centre. Gordon himself was honest and incorruptible, but he was almost alone in possessing these qualities, and the venal and corrupt Egyptian bureaucrats usually ignored his orders when they conflicted with the chance to make money. This Gordon would later use as a reason for staying in Khartoum. Other lives: Art lover who helped create a radio station, bank, orchestra and arboretum in his passion for making positive social change Tablet indicates where General Gordon was killed, Jan. 25, 1885", "Khartoum: blackface Olivier scrapes the bottom of some macabre barrels", "The Political Martyr: General Gordon and the Fall of Kartum", The Journals of Major-Gen. C. G. Gordon, C.B., at Kartoum, Newspaper clippings about Charles George Gordon, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Charles_George_Gordon&oldid=1142434977, Chinese Gordon, Gordon Pasha, Gordon of Khartoum, This page was last edited on 2 March 2023, at 10:23. For information and online condolences, please visit:www.northviewfuneralchapel.com. He managed the grain elevator in Raymond until he retired manyyears ago and has lived in Raymond ever since. [251] By contrast, Gordon is one of the four subjects discussed critically in Eminent Victorians by Lytton Strachey, one of the first texts about Gordon that portrays some of his characteristics which Strachey regards as weaknesses. Given that Gordon himself in his interview with Stead had stated: "The moment it is known that we have given up the game, every man will go over to the Mahdi", his decision to reveal that the Egyptians were pulling out remains inexplicable. It is a bittersweet reminder of all we've lost, but it can also help us to remember all we enjoyed while they were alive. If there is anything that I admire nearly as much as the superb scholarship of Zeng Guofan, it is the military qualities of this fine officer. [224] This symbolic decapitation echoed General Gordon's death at the hands of the Mahdist forces in 1885. They celebrated H.E's [His Excellency] arrival with an indescribable uproar". I also had the honour of working with George for many years and I will miss seeing his smile. During his "career break" in the Holy Land, the very religious Gordon sought to explore his faith and biblical sites. Gordon William Hatley 06-Dec-1960 - 23-Feb-2023 Overview Overview . [43] Gordon wrote: "The great thingis to cut off their retreat, and the chances are they will go without trouble; but attack them in the front, and leave their rear open, and they fight most desperately". [109], Gordon grew close to the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society, an evangelical Christian group based in London dedicated to ending slavery all over the world, and who regularly celebrated Gordon's efforts to end slavery in the Sudan. [51], Gordon believed this approach was militarily counterproductive, as it encouraged the Taipings to fight to the death, which Gordon felt to be very unwise as the Taiping leader Hong Xiuquan, had become murderously paranoid, conducting bloody purges of his followers. [65], Octavia Freese published a book in 1894 about his charity work and Christian beliefs. He was warm, steadfast, and peaceable. With Egypt bankrupt, the money to carry out the reforms Gordon wanted was not there. [156], Additionally, Baring's policy of raising taxes to pay off the debts Isma'il had run up sparked much resentment in both Egypt and the Sudan. George Gordon of Isabella, Mo died in his wife's arms at his farm August 30 and was buried that same day in the family cemetery on the farm. 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). Before I heard of our defeat I heard of this, and I thought, 'THAT will not pass unavenged'. View obituary. 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. Loved husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather. [201] However, Faught wrote that there was a fundamental difference between Gordon and the Mahdi in that Gordon never tried to convert the Muslims of the Sudan to Christianity whereas the Mahdi was an "Islamic extremist" who believed he would establish a worldwide caliphate, looking forward to the day when he would "see the world bow before him". Peacefully, in Migdale Hospital, Bonar Bridge, on Saturday, 18th February, 2023, Robert "Bobby" George Bain, The Bungalow, Lower Gledfield Farm, Ardgay. Wolseley had earlier served in Canada where he had commanded the Red River expedition of 1870, during which time he gained considerable respect for the skills of French-Canadian voyageurs, and now insisted he could not travel up the Nile without the voyageurs to assist his men as river pilots and boatmen. The British sinologist Demetrius Charles Boulger published a biography of Gordon in 1896 which depicted him as a staunch patriot and a Christian of immense virtue who displayed superhuman courage in the face of danger. [94] John Russell, the son of the famous war correspondent William Howard Russell, was another European recruited to serve on Gordon's staff. After meeting Gordon in 1874, the Khedive Isma'il had said: "What an extraordinary Englishman! The mortal enemy of the morning had become a trusted ally by night". Im so grateful that my sister and nephews had such a wonderful father-in-law and grandpa. your email below for our complimentary daily grief messages. Funeral Home website by, Christensen Salmon Generations Funeral Home. [174] Travelling through Korosko and Berber, he arrived at Khartoum on 18 February, where he offered his earlier foe, the slaver-king Rahama Zobeir, release from prison in exchange for leading troops against Ahmed. [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. [152] The Spaffords had lost their home and much of their fortune in the Great Chicago Fire and then had seen one of their sons die of scarlet fever, four of their daughters drowned in a shipwreck, followed by the death of another son from scarlet fever, causing them to turn to religion as consolation for unbearable tragedy, making them very congenial company for Gordon during his stay in Jerusalem. Second only to his faith, was the great joy George found in his family. woodhams, walter woodhouse, victor frederick. [210], The British press criticised the relief force for arriving two days late, but the main relief force was nowhere near Khartoum by then and only the reconnaissance party under Sir Charles Wilson on two gunboats had attempted to reach Khartoum, though it was later argued that the Mahdi's forces had good intelligence, and if the camel corps had advanced earlier, the final attack on Khartoum would also have come earlier. [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. He was a treasured and beloved uncle to many, and his favourite place was anywhere his family was, with a cup of good black coffee in his hand. George was predeceased by his father, and is survived by his mother. I miss you my dear George; emailing you in the morning about orders was a norm thing but now getting answers from someone else using your email address feels really weired. [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. Obituary. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and has been regarded as among the greatest of English poets. When I was 17 I started working, with George as my manager. [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. [87] In the Ottoman Empire, power was exercised via a system of institutionalised corruption where officials looted their provinces via heavy taxes and by demanding kickbacks known as baksheesh; some of the money went to Constantinople with the rest being pocketed by the officials. [31] When Gordon arrived at Hong Kong, he was disappointed to learn he was "just too late for the fighting". It was removed in 1958, shortly after the Sudan became independent. [81], In October 1871, he was appointed British representative on the international commission to maintain the navigation of the mouth of the River Danube, with headquarters at Galatz. "[198], Among the papers captured on the Abbas was the cipher key Gordon used to code his messages in and out of Khartoum, which meant he could no longer read the messages he received, leading him to write in his diary: "I think cipher-messages are in some countries, like this, a mistake". He was a committed and valued friend and colleague for over thirty years at Sterling Marking Products. George Gordon April 15, 1925 ~ May 21, 2021 96 Years Old Obituary & Services Tribute Wall Obituary George H. Gordon, Husband, Father, Grandfather, Oilman and decorated World War II veteran, died peacefully in Naples, Florida May 21. Yes, these are people struggling to be free and rightly struggling to be free". To plant a tree in memory of George GORDON / GEORGE / HANSLOW, please visit Tribute Store . George was such a great guy. [56] The British journalist Mark Urban, wrote: "People saw a brave man who acted with humanity in an otherwise ghastly conflict, standing out from the other mercenaries, adventurers, and cut-throats in wanting almost nothing for himself". George graduated from. Share Obituary. Nancy, To download this photo, the file name must have less than 255 characters. [69], King Leopold II then asked Gordon again to take charge of the Congo Free State. As to who tipped him off that the general would be staying here for just a couple of nights, we can only speculate". [132] In April, the government of the Cape Colony offered him the position of commandant of the Cape local forces, which Gordon declined. At Cairo, he received further instructions from Sir Evelyn Baring, and was appointed Governor-General with executive powers by the Khedive Tewfik Pasha, who also gave Gordon an edict ordering him to establish a government in the Sudan. Cremation has taken place. [8] A man of medium stature, with striking blue eyes, the charismatic Gordon had the ability to inspire men to follow him anywhere. Family and friends are welcome to send flowers or leave their condolences on this memorial page and share them with the family. [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". George will be missed. [191] Khartoum was surrounded by the Ansar in March 1884, but was not cut off from the outside world for a considerable time afterward. The garrison at Berber surrendered in May, and Khartoum was completely isolated. [257] On the basis of such statements and actions, Nutting argued that Gordon's suicidal courage of going into battle armed only with his rattan cane, which so impressed the Victorian public, reflected darker desires. 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. The troops reached Korti towards the end of December, the small "Desert Column" reaching Metemma on 20 January 1885, fighting the Battle of Abu Klea[198] on 18 January and Abu Kru (or Gubat) en route. [175] Gordon had a garrison of about 8,000 soldiers armed with Remington rifles, together with a colossal ammunition dump containing millions of rounds. [35] The British arrived at a crucial time. It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Gordon Richard George, loving husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather. [100], Gordon established a close rapport with the African peoples of Equatoria such as the Nuer and Dinka, who had long suffered from the activity of Arab slave traders, and who naturally supported Gordon's efforts to stamp out the slave trade. Gordon made a point of treating POWs well to encourage the Taipings to surrender, and many of his men were former Taipings who chose to enlist in the Ever Victorious Army. Laurence Olivier played Muhammad Ahmad. [142] After meeting with him there, Hart described Gordon as "very eccentric" and "spending hours in prayer", writing that: "As much I like and respect him, I must say he is 'not all there'. Cremation has taken place. [91] As part of his Westernisation programme, Isma'il often hired Westerners to work in his government both in Egypt and in the Sudan. [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. [65], Faught maintained that Gordon was a heterosexual whose Christian beliefs led him to maintain his virginity right up to his death, because he believed that sexual intercourse was incompatible with his faith. [148] Gordon was promoted to major-general on 23 March 1882. Jackie (Meisner) Reinke, 78, died unexpectedly at home on Jan. 27, 2022. [37] After its surrender, Gordon personally guaranteed that any Taiping rebel who laid down his arms would be humanely treated. In defiance of those instructions, after evacuating about 2,500 civilians he retained a smaller group of soldiers and non-military men.

Wenatchee Gorge Shuttle, Articles G