Major-General

The Honourable ''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' ( American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of certain ...

Sir Frederick Gordon, (9 October 1861 – 18 October 1927) was a senior

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

officer, who additionally served as a

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

in the early

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

Early life and education

Gordon was born on 9 October 1861 to

Edward Gordon, Baron Gordon of Drumearn Edward Strathearn Gordon, Baron Gordon of Drumearn, (10 April 1814 – 21 August 1879) was a Scottish judge and politician. Early life and education Gordon was born on 10 April 1814. He was educated at Inverness Royal Academy, Royal High S ...

, a

law lord Lords of Appeal in Ordinary, commonly known as Law Lords, were judges appointed under the Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876 to the British House of Lords, as a committee of the House, effectively to exercise the judicial functions of the House o ...

and Conservative politician. He attended Highgate School and

Wellington College, Berkshire Wellington College is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) in the village of Crowthorne, Berkshire, England. Wellington is a registered charity and currently educates roughly 1,200 pupils, between the ages of 13 a ...

and then, as a gentleman cadet, he attended the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infant ...

to undergo officer training.

Military career

On 22 January 1881, Gordon was commissioned into the

as a second lieutenant. During 1881, he served as an officer in the

91st (Argyllshire Highlanders) Regiment of Foot The 91st (Argyllshire Highlanders) Regiment of Foot was a Line Regiment of the British Army, raised in 1794. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 93rd (Sutherland Highlanders) Regiment of Foot to form the Argyll and Sutherland Highl ...

, the

Princess Charlotte of Wales's (Royal Berkshire Regiment) The Royal Berkshire Regiment (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1959. The regiment was created in 1881, as the Princess Charlotte of Wales's (Royal Berkshire Regiment), by ...

, the

Berkshire Regiment The Royal Berkshire Regiment (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1959. The regiment was created in 1881, as the Princess Charlotte of Wales's (Royal Berkshire Regiment), b ...

, and the

Gordon Highlanders Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Clan Gord ...

. This was the year of the Childers Reforms which caused turmoil in some areas of the British Army with its disbandment and amalgamation of some infantry regiments. During his early career he served abroad with the Gordon Highlanders: he saw service in Egypt (1882–1885), fighting at the Battle of Tell El Kebir, Second Battle of El Teb and Battle of Tamai; in Sudan (1889) at the

Battle of Toski The Battle of Toski (''Tushkah'') was part of the Mahdist War. It took place on August 3, 1889 in southern Egypt between the Anglo-Egyptian forces and the Mahdist forces of the Sudan. Since 1882, the British had taken control of Egypt and found ...

; and in South Africa (1899–1902) during the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...

. For his service in the latter war, he received the brevet rank of

lieutenant-colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colo ...

on 22 August 1902. On 9 January 1908, Gordon was promoted to the substantive rank of lieutenant-colonel. From 1908 to 1911, he was Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion, Gordon Highlanders. On 10 August 1911, he was made a general staff officer, 1st class. Gordon served during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

in Europe. He became General Officer Commanding 22nd Division in June 1915 and saw action on the Macedonian front. On 1 April 1918, he was granted a temporary commission in the newly created

as a

major-general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

. Gordon retired from the military in 1920 on retired pay. He died on 18 October 1927, aged 66.

Honours

Gordon was awarded the

Egypt Medal The Egypt Medal (1882–1889) was awarded for the military actions involving the British Army and Royal Navy during the 1882 Anglo-Egyptian War and in the Sudan between 1884 and 1889. Resentment at increasing British and other European involve ...

with three clasps and the

Khedive's Star The Khedive's Star was a campaign medal established by Khedive Tewfik Pasha to reward those who had participated in the military campaigns in Egypt and the Sudan between 1882 and 1891. This included British forces who served during the 1882 Anglo- ...

for his service in Egypt and Sudan in the 1880s. He was awarded the

Queen's South Africa Medal The Queen's South Africa Medal is a British campaign medal awarded to British and Colonial military personnel, and to civilians employed in an official capacity, who served in the Second Boer War in South Africa. Altogether twenty-six clasps wer ...

with six clasps, the

King's South Africa Medal The King's South Africa Medal is a British campaign medal awarded to all British and Colonial military personnel who served in the Second Boer War in South Africa, and who were in the theatre on or after 1 January 1902 and who had completed 18 m ...

with both clasps, and was mentioned in despatches four times for his service during the Second Boer War. On 29 November 1900, he was appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) "in recognition of the services ..in connection with the Campaign in South Africa, 1899-1900". Gordon received a number of honours for his service during the First World War. On 15 February 1915, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) "in recognition of the meritorious services ..during the war". In February 1916, he was awarded the Order of the White Eagle, 2nd Class (with Swords) by the King of Serbia. In the 1917 King's Birthday Honours, he was promoted to

Knight Commander Commander ( it, Commendatore; french: Commandeur; german: Komtur; es, Comendador; pt, Comendador), or Knight Commander, is a title of honor prevalent in chivalric orders and fraternal orders. The title of Commander occurred in the medieval mili ...

of the Order of the Bath (KCB) "for valuable services rendered in connection with Military Operations in the Field", and thereby granted the

title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

sir ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...

''. He was also mentioned in despatches five times during the War.

Personal life

In 1897, Gordon married Mabel Rose Robinson. Together they had three children; one son and two daughters.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Frederick 1861 births 1927 deaths People educated at Highgate School People educated at Wellington College, Berkshire Gordon Highlanders officers British Army generals of World War I Royal Air Force generals of World War I Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Sons of life peers British Army personnel of the Second Boer War British Army personnel of the Anglo-Egyptian War British Army personnel of the Mahdist War British Army major generals