Remembering national war hero

1:06pm Wednesday 6th February 2008

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General Gordon became a national war hero for his exploits in Crimea and China, but he is remembered in Gravesend for his selfless charity work. Reporter DAN KEEL finds out more.

BORN in the winter of 1833, Charles Gordon was one of 11 children in a family with a history of successful military careers.

At the age of 15, after growing up in Woolwich, he moved to the town's Royal Military Academy intending to follow in his father's footsteps as an artillery officer.

After changing career paths, he completed his military training in the Royal Engineers and graduated in 1852.

But it wasn't until the Crimean War in 1853 the young officer made his name.

Gordon's job was to look over the top of his trench and sketch the Russian positions from afar.

Very few engineers survived such missions, but Gordon successfully mapped miles of Russian trenches and escaped the war unscathed.

In 1960, he volunteered to fight in the Arrow War against the Chinese after China's Quing Government rejected British demands to legalise the opium trade and open all ports to UK merchants.

He commanded 3,500 peasant troops, known as the Ever Victorious Army, in the vital defence of Shanghai city. It was during this period he became known as Chinese Gordon.

Often spotted leading his troops into battle armed with nothing but a walking stick, he developed a reputation for being not only fearless, but incorruptible and extremely ruthless.

After he refused to allow his army to loot captured cities, his troops mutinied.

His response was to shoot the ringleader and promise to shoot dead one mutineer per hour until it was over.

The mutiny ended inside the hour.

In 1865, Gordon returned to England and was immediately promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel before being posted to Gravesend to renovate a fort on the Thames.

During his six-year spell in north Kent, he threw himself into social work and gave huge support to the Ragged School, a charity which cared for the poorest children in Gravesend.

He provided food and clothes and helped them find jobs.

His vast military income was also put to good use when he helped a group of elderly people with their pensions.

Not only did he donate £2,700 of his £3,000-a-year salary towards their pensions, but he also continued to maintain them for three years after he left Gravesend.

After being promoted again in 1884, General Gordon was posted to the Sudan to evacuate Egyptian forces from Khartoum.

The city's defences were finally breached on January 26 when Sudanese rebels broke into the city and killed Gordon in the process.

The British public reacted to his death by blaming William Gladstone's government for failing to relieve the siege.

On January 25 this year, an annual memorial service was held at Gordon Memorial Gardens in Gravesend's Riverside Leisure Area to mark the 124th anniversary of his death.

The mayor of Gravesham, Councillor Pat Oakeshott, attended the event, and said: "General Gordon played a huge role in Gravesend's community in the 19th Century and his generosity will never be forgotten.

"It was wonderful to see so many people attend the service, from the very old to the very young, and their prayers and songs provided a moving tribute to this great man."