Bertrand Evelyn Mellish Gurdon

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]

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
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service/branch British Indian Army
Years of service1886–1918
RankLieutenant-Colonel
Battles/warsChitral Expedition

Life and career

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

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

References
  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.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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