Bertrand Evelyn Mellish Gurdon

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Bertrand Evelyn Mellish Gurdon
Born(1867-09-02)2 September 1867
Simla, Punjab, India
Died6 October 1949(1949-10-06) (aged 82)
Crowborough, Sussex, England
AllegianceUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
Service/branch British Indian Army
Years of service1886–1918
RankLieutenant-Colonel
Battles/warsChitral Expedition

Lieutenant-Colonel Bertrand Evelyn Mellish Gurdon CIE DSO (2 September 1867 - 6 October 1949) was a British soldier[1][2][3] and administrator.[4][5][6] He gained prominence as an officer during the Siege of Chitral.[7][8]

Life and career[edit]

Gurdon was born on 2 September 1867 at Simla, Punjab, India,[9][10] the third son of Major-General Evelyn Pulteney Gurdon.[11][12] He was the uncle of the university administrator Bertrand Hallward.

He received education and training from Haileybury Imperial Service College and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.[13] He was commissioned into the British Indian Army on 25 August 1886.[14][15] His first posting was in the Foreign and Political Department of the British Indian Army.[16] In 1892 he was posted as Assistant to the British Agent at Gilgit.[17] As Lieutenant, in 1892, he was posted as Acting Assistant Political Agent in Chitral in the turbulent period following the death of Mehtar Aman ul-Mulk. He was serving in that capacity when the Siege of Chitral unfolded in 1895.[18][19][20]

He played an active role during the conflict,[21][22][23] and was subsequently decorated as Companion of the Distinguished Service Order.[24][25][26] Following the lifting of the siege Gurdon was stationed in Chitral as Assistant Political Officer of the state until late 1902.[27] In 1900 he was made a Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire.[28] In 1903 he was appointed Political Agent of the Gilgit Agency and served there until 1906.[29][30] In 1908 he was entrusted with the post of Political Agent Khyber Agency.[31] His next posting was as Political Agent Rajputana Agency. 1912 saw Gurdon being promoted as Ltieutenant Colonel.[32][33] He later served as Political Agent of the Phulkian States Agency from 1913 to 1916.[34] He was scheduled for another promotion but owing to ill health sought leave and then premature retirement in 1918.[35]

Death[edit]

Gurdon died a natural death at the age of 82 in Crowborough, Sussex on 6 October 1949.[36][37][38]

References[edit]

  1. ^ The Alpine Journal. 1949. p. 409.
  2. ^ Who was who: A Companion to Who's Who, Containing the Biographies of Those who Died. A. & C. Black. 2002. p. 346. ISBN 9780713661255.
  3. ^ Harris, John (1975). Much sounding of bugles: the siege of Chitral, 1895. Hutchinson. p. 25.
  4. ^ The Genealogical Magazine. 1901. p. 126.
  5. ^ Defence, Great Britain Ministry of (1900). The Army List. H.M. Stationery Office. p. 1278.
  6. ^ Who's who: An Annual Biographical Dictionary. A. & C. Black. 1908. p. 774.
  7. ^ The London Gazette. Tho. Newcomb over against Baynards Castle in Thamse-street. 1895. p. 4021.
  8. ^ The Himalayan Journal. Oxford University Press. 1946. p. 144.
  9. ^ Kelly's Handbook to the Titled, Landed & Official Classes. Kelly's Directories. 1921. p. 764.
  10. ^ Howard, Joseph Jackson (1902). Visitation of England and Wales. Priv. print. p. 96. Bertrand Evelyn Mellish Gurdon 1867.
  11. ^ Who's who. A. & C. Black. 1919. p. 1048.
  12. ^ College, Haileybury and Imperial Service (1900). Haileybury Register. p. 215.
  13. ^ Howard, Joseph Jackson (1902). Visitation of England and Wales. Priv. print. p. 96. Bertrand Evelyn Mellish Gurdon Haileybury.
  14. ^ "The India list and India Office list". Archives.
  15. ^ Office, Great Britain India (1902). The India List and India Office List for ... Harrison and Sons. p. 157.
  16. ^ The Lady's Who's who. Pallas Publishing Company. 1938. p. 181.
  17. ^ "Page 57 - The-VC-and-DSO-Volume-II". Military Archives United Kingdom.
  18. ^ Howard, Joseph Jackson (1902). Visitation of England and Wales. Priv. print. p. 96. Bertrand Evelyn Mellish Gurdon assistant.
  19. ^ "Page 57 - The-VC-and-DSO-Volume-II". Military Archives United Kingdom.
  20. ^ Commons, Great Britain Parliament House of (1898). Parliamentary Papers: 1850-1908. H.M. Stationery Office. p. 52.
  21. ^ "In Memoriam" (PDF). Alpine Journal. 1950.
  22. ^ Torrens-Spence, Johnny (2006). Historic Battlefields of Pakistan. Oxford University Press. p. 105. ISBN 9780195978971.
  23. ^ "The Siege and Relief of Chitral 1895". British Battles.
  24. ^ "Indian Staff Corps" (PDF). The London Gazette.
  25. ^ Office, Great Britain India (1819). The India List and India Office List for ... Harrison and Sons. p. 148.
  26. ^ Whitaker's Naval and Military Directory and Indian Army List. J. Whitaker & Sons. 1899. p. 185.
  27. ^ "In Memoriam". The Himalayan Club Archive. Archived from the original on 2013-11-09.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  28. ^ "Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire" (PDF). The Edinburgh Gazette. 1900.
  29. ^ Cahoon, Ben. "Pakistan Princely States". World Statesmen.
  30. ^ Weinreich, Matthias (2009). "We are here to stay": Pashtun migrants in the northern areas of Pakistan. Klaus Schwarz. p. 39. ISBN 9783879973569.
  31. ^ The Alpine Journal. 1949. p. 407.
  32. ^ The Himalayan Journal. Oxford University Press. 1946. p. 144.
  33. ^ "Page 57 - The-VC-and-DSO-Volume-II". Military Archive United Kingdom.
  34. ^ Cahoon, Ben. "Pakistan Princely States". World Statesmen.
  35. ^ "Anglo Boer War: Lieutenant Gurdon". Anglo Boer War. Retrieved 2017-06-01.
  36. ^ "Surname: Gurdon". Tribal Pages.
  37. ^ "Alpine Journal - Contents 1950". Alpine Journal.
  38. ^ "In Memoriam" (PDF). Alpine Journal.
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