Jack Windrush

Chapter 4

Charles George Gordon was born in Woolwich in 1833 into a military family. He joined the Royal Engineers as a Second Lieutenant in 1852 and participated in the Crimea War. Subsequently, he worked as a surveyor along the Turko-Russian frontier, and in 1860 he joined the British expedition in the war with China.

China was to give Gordon his reputation and his nickname. After participating in the capture of Pekin and the destruction of the Summer Palace, he helped the Chinese fight against a formidable rebel army known as the Taipings. He led a Chinese force known as the Ever Victorious Army, captured several walled towns and fought over thirty battles and skirmishes.

Back in the UK, Gordon worked on various engineering duties while also engaged in charity work. In 1873, Chinese Gordon, as he was now known, accepted a commission from the Khedive of Egypt to open up the southern part of Sudan. He worked tirelessly, established bases, and brought steamers for the Nile, but the extent of corruption and the slave trade depressed him. He returned to the UK but was back in Sudan in 1877, armed with greater powers over a vast area.

Three years later, the climate had damaged Gordon’s health, and he left Sudan. After globetrotting with other endeavours, in 1884, the British government, feeling responsible for the Egyptian garrisons in Sudan, sent Gordon to Khartoum. His mission was to evacuate the garrison. He delayed, and the Mahdi besieged the city. The British government did not send a relief expedition for months, and it arrived only a couple of days after the Mahdi captured Khartoum, killing Gordon.