page_title: Archibald Alexander Gordon
section_title: King's Messenger
hierarchical_section_title: Archibald Alexander Gordon / Great War / King's Messenger
caption_attribution_description: English: signed photograph by King Albert
context_page_description: Major Archibald Alexander Gordon CBE, MVO, Order of Leopold, Legion of Honour was a Scottish soldier who served as attaché to the Military Household of King Albert I of Belgium during World War I, with the title of Belgian King's Messenger.
  He is the younger brother of William Eagleson Gordon, who was awarded the Victoria Cross.
context_section_description: Major A. A. Gordon was contacted by the Foreign ministry of Belgium, who asked if he was interested in becoming the British Attaché for King Albert I of Belgium. He accepted the task with full honor and departed for La Panne some time after. Once he arrived in La Panne, Belgium he was asked to participate in the establishment of the L'ocean Hospital that was commissioned by Queen Elisabeth of Belgium. This task made him travel a lot between England and Belgium, of which both the Queen and King took advantage for giving him personal missions. One of those missions was to photograph the grave of Prince Maurice of Rattenberg (who died on 27 October 1914 during the Siege of Yper), and was the son of Princess Beatrice, the youngest daughter of Queen Victoria, who had asked for the condition of her son's grave in a letter to Queen Elisabeth to Belgium. Another task that was given to Major Gordon was to check on a French hospital at Dunkirk, of which the Queen was informed that the conditions where less than poor and she wanted to check on the Belgian soldiers who were hospitalized there. Major Gordon visited the Hospital and found out that the entire 'Ambulance' was occupied with only three women. One of them was an elderly English woman, who told Major Gordon that there had been several suicides already because of the high fever. After his return in London, Major Gordon bought some supplies for the hospital and had them shipped. Afterwards he went to the French embassy, and explained mathers to the ambassador, who he had met before. The embassador promised him that he would try to improve the situation and asked that he would not make things public. That night major Gordon sent his rapport to the Queen. During the war Major Gordon visited the famous British Nurses Elsie Knocker and Mairi Chisholm in his spare time in the town of Pervuyse and he always brought them supplies. Later that year he had the honor to meet with Captain John Aiddan Liddell V.C. who was shot down over Bruges and managed to land his plane into allied territory, but was severely wounded. He was hospitalized in the L'ocean Hospital and later died on 31 August 1915, after receiving a telegram where he was appointed the Victoria Cross. As a result of his death his sister Nurse Dorothy Liddell M.B.E. took up a position in the L'ocean Hospital later on. Major Gordon escorted Mrs Asquith (wife of Prime-Minister H. H. Asquith) to the Belgian front, the Belgian Royal Family in La Panne and the Belgian Government at St. Andresse in France. Her report on this journey was published in the book Women's Writing on the First World War (1999). In 1916 Major Gordon escorted Eugene Ysaye and his entourage from London to La Panne, on the envitation of Queen Elisabeth, so Ysaye and his band could perform at the L'ocean Hospital. A report of the journey was given by Lionel Tartis in the book: Eugène Ysaÿe et la musique de chambre by Michel Stockhem.
  In 1917 the Belgian Royal family planned a trip to England for the Silver Jubilee of King George V and Queen Mary. Major Gordon received a telegram, that the Royal Family would arrive within a couple of days. He rushed to Buckingham Palace and was received by Prince Alexander of Teck (later Lord Athlone) and was later joined by Princess Alice and Lord Stamfordham. After discussing the matter, Lord Stamfordham asked Major Gordon if he could come with him to inform Lord Curzon. Afterwards Major Gordon secured rooms in the Grand Hotel in Folkestone and went to the harbor where he was awaited by Admiral Keyes, who informed him that the Belgian King and Queen would be arriving in two separate airplanes and that the rest of the military attaché and household would be travelling on a war vessel. The luggage was temporarily lost, but brought to the hotel late in the evening. In the early morning, King Albert I entered Major Gordon's room in night atire, and explained to Major Gordon that the gift for the British Royal family was left behind and asked if he could buy something suitable at once. Major Gordon explained to the King (almost w
caption: photograph given by King Albert to Major A. A. Gordon
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