THE "IMMEDIATE" MILITARY CROSS GROUP AWARDED TO 2ND LIEUTENANT (ACTING LIEUTENANT) S.G.E. GORDON, 5TH/7TH BATTALION GORDON HIGHLANDERS (PREVIOUSLY 11TH (HONOURABLE ARTILLERY COMPANY)REGIMENT, ROYAL HORSE ARTILLERY AND ROYAL FUSILIERS), WHO WAS AWARDED A MILITARY CROSS FOR RESCUING A DOWNED AMERICAN PILOT DURING THE CROSSING OF THE RHINE ON 24TH MARCH 1945 AND WAS KILLED IN ACTION JUST 24 DAYS LATER, ON 17TH APRIL 1945, DURING THE FINAL ADVANCE TO VICTORY IN GERMANY. Seven: Military Cross, George VI (reverse officially dated 1945) 1939-45 Star, Africa Star, Italy Star, France and Germany Star, Defence Medal, War Medal. Generally Extremely Fine and virtually as struck.
Group accompanied by a page from the Gordon family's scrap album, with a variety of original documents and photographs attached, including a contemporary typed copy of the recommendation for Lieutenant Gordon's Military Cross, an original War Office condolence letter, dated 25th April 1945, addressed to Gordon's father at 86 Great Titchfield Street, London W.1., confirming Lieutenant Gordon killed in action 17th April 1945, a contemporary newspaper cutting regarding the 11th (HAC) Royal Horse Artillery in North Africa and Italy during 1942 and 1943, and a newspaper clipping of a group photograph of HAC officers and men, on which Lieutenant Gordon has identified himself "me" and 12 WW2 period black and white photographs, including two photographs of HAC gun teams, one posed sitting on a gun, and another of a gun team in action, one photograph of a German officer (p.o.w.), two other photographs of what appear to be German p.o.w.'s (possibly Russian/Ukrainians fighting for the Germans), a photograph of a senior German naval officer addressing assembled officers and men aboard a German naval vessel, and a photograph of a soldier (probably Gordon) taken at Stonehenge, etc.
Stanley Gordon Edward Gordon was born in Lewis, Sussex, in September 1918, the son of Abraham and Ivion (nee Barber) Gordon. Educated at Shoreham College, Sussex, he initially saw service during WW2 with the 11th (Honourable Artillery Company) Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery in North Africa and Italy, 1941-44. Gordon was subsequently commissioned 2nd Lieutenant, Royal Fusiliers, 27/10/1944. After being commissioned he was posted for service with the 5th/7th Battalion Gordon Highlanders, and promoted Acting Lieutenant. Lieutenant Gordon was killed in action on 17/4/1945, just three weeks before the end of the war.
The contemporary typed copy of the citation for Lieutenant Gordon's Military Cross that accompanies the group, the Commonwealth War Graves website and the London Gazette announcement of Gordons MC, all incorrectly give Gordons regiment as the Royal Fusiliers (his parent regiment when commissioned). However, the official recommendation for Gordon's Military Cross, extracted from the National Archives (a copy of which accompanies the group), and which is identical to the typed copy recommendation, gives his correct unit at the time he won his Military Cross, as the 5/7th Battalion Gordon Highlanders (5/7th partially obscured by ink blot, but recommendation with clear manuscript endorsement that regiment serving in was Gordons). The Regimental History of the Gordon Highlanders also confirms that Gordon was serving with the 5/7th Battalion Gordon Highlanders when he was killed in action.
The following is the text of both the typed copy of the recommendation and the original recommendation in the National Archives (both identical): "Lieutenant Stanley Edward Gordon (331196). On 24th March 1945, the Battalion was holding a small bridgehead on the East bank of the Rhine in open country with no cover. The whole position was overlooked by a road which was strongly held by the enemy and subjected continually by heavy machine gun fire. On the morning of 24th March, Airborne troops passed over the position. Enemy anti-aircraft fire was fairly heavy and some of the planes were shot down and pilots had to bale out in the area of the river. One of these pilots, an American, drifted back towards the enemy lines and came down in front of "A" Company in full view of the enemy. Lieutenant Gordon immediately, and without any regard to his own safety, organised his rescue. He took one man with him and dashed across the open ground to the airman who was injured, cut him loose and commenced to drag him back towards his own slit trench. The enemy was firing heavily and directly at the party the whole time and with the lack of cover the operation was extremely difficult and dangerous. Lieutenant Gordon's assistant was wounded and both he and the airman could progress only at a slow crawl. In and effort to distract the fire from the two men Lieutenant Gordon rose to his feet and dashed off at a tangent thereby drawing the enemy fire on himself and at the same time exhorted the two men to crawl as fast as possible to the trench. The trench was reached and the airman was being lifted in when he was hit by a burst of machine gun fire and mortally wounded. Lieutenant Gordon displayed courage of the highest order and gave a wonderful example to his men in unselfishness and cool action whilst under close enemy fire."
Lieutenant Gordon was killed in action on 17/4/1945, during the final advance to victory. The following account of the action during which Gordon was killed has been taken from the Regimental History of the Gordon Highlanders. "At mid-morning 16th April 5/7th Gordons were ordered to capture Gotlingen with the assistance of one troop of tanks and two of crocodiles. The carrier platoon led the advance and gained some ground. Then, after a twenty minute artillery concentration at 2.30pm the leading rifle company of the Gordons with tanks in attendance moved through the carrier platoon and entered Gotlingen as the Germans fled on bicycles from the other end of the place. On 17th April a wood, reported to contain some of the enemy, was shelled by our artillery and two Germans came in to surrender. By the evening of the 17th the 5/7th had handed over to a battalion of the 43rd Division, were picked up by transport and carriet to billets at Beckeln. Lieutenant G. Gordon was killed by a shell splinter on this day and three men were wounded. (Note: Regimental History gives Gordons initial as G, which was in fact his second initial.)
Lieutenant Gordon is buried in Becklingen War Cemetery.
Lieutenant Gordon's MC was an "immediate" award and was announced in the London Gazette of 12/7/1945 (pages 3591-3592) Lieutenant Stanley Gordon Edward Gordon (331196) The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) (since killed in action) London W1. The original recommendation in the National Archives made and signed by Colonel Irvin, commanding 5/7th Gordons, was subsequently counter-signed by his Brigade Commander, Divisional Commander, Corps Commander and Second Army Commander, before being passed to Field Marshall Montgomery for signature as Commander in Chief, 21st Army Group. All signatories, including Montgomery, confirming the recommendation by Gordons Commanding Officer of the award of an "immediate" MC.
The 11th (Honourable Artillery Company) Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery, was formed in 1939 from the existing A and B Batteries HAC. The regiment deployed to North Africa at the end of 1941, where it took part in the battles of Gazala, The Cauldron (Knightsbridge Box), first Alamein, Alam Halfa, the battle of El Alamein and the advance to and capture of Tripoli. The battalion subsequently saw service in Italy, including the capture of Sicily, landings on the Italian mainland and the advance on Rome.
Medal also accompanied by an email from a researcher confirming that Stanley Edward Gordon was of Jewish ancestry and that the researcher is currently in correspondence with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission with the aim of having the Christian symbol on Gordon's headstone replaced with a Jewish one. Email also confirms that Gordon's father, Abraham, and his four siblings, Vera, Ruben, Sylvia and David, are all buried in Jewish cemeteries.
