Individual Details
Thomas GORDON
(15 Oct 1880 - 21 Mar 1937)
Thomas left school at the age of 16 and joined the British Army. He served in the Boer War in 1897 after which his parents bought him out of the army and sent him to Blackrock College in Dublin to complete his secondary school education. He went on to study veterinary medicine (he is listed a a veterinary student in the 1911 census return of his brother James who lived in Ballyshannon, Co. Donegal) and graduated as a member of the first veterinary class to qualify in Ireland (prior to that, Irish students had to go to Edinburgh to qualify as vets).
Following his graduation, Thomas went to Edinburgh for further study after which he rejoined the British Army, this time as an officer in the Royal Army Veterinary Corp. His specialty was equine medicine. During World War I Thomas was awarded the Military Cross for 'Gallantry and Distinction in the Field' and also received a 'Mention in Dispatches'. Immediately after the war, the British government sent a variety of experts, including Thomas, to France to help in the setting up of new government departments. As a result of his work there, Thomas was awarded the Mérite Agricole in 1919 by the French government. In the same year he received the Afghanistan Medal for his services in India. We do not know when exactly Thomas served in India but according to his obituary in The Leitrim Observer he contracted malaria while there and suffered recurrent bouts of the illness in later years.
In 1919, or shortly thereafter, Thomas retired from the army, turning down an offer of higher rank if he would stay. Owing to his accomplishments whilst in the army he was permitted to retain the title of Captain in civilian life. He returned to Ireland and set up a veterinary practice in Mohill, Co. Leitrim, where he was to spent the rest of his life. His reputation was such that his duties in Mohill included the treatment of the horses of the Irish Army. Thomas was also involved in the Royal Agricultural Society of Ireland, and was a judge at major horse shows around the country. He was also a well known breeder of dairy shorthorn cattle.
Thomas died aged 56 at his home in Mohill of what was then referred to as 'creeping paralysis', nowadays known as multiple sclerosis.
Following his graduation, Thomas went to Edinburgh for further study after which he rejoined the British Army, this time as an officer in the Royal Army Veterinary Corp. His specialty was equine medicine. During World War I Thomas was awarded the Military Cross for 'Gallantry and Distinction in the Field' and also received a 'Mention in Dispatches'. Immediately after the war, the British government sent a variety of experts, including Thomas, to France to help in the setting up of new government departments. As a result of his work there, Thomas was awarded the Mérite Agricole in 1919 by the French government. In the same year he received the Afghanistan Medal for his services in India. We do not know when exactly Thomas served in India but according to his obituary in The Leitrim Observer he contracted malaria while there and suffered recurrent bouts of the illness in later years.
In 1919, or shortly thereafter, Thomas retired from the army, turning down an offer of higher rank if he would stay. Owing to his accomplishments whilst in the army he was permitted to retain the title of Captain in civilian life. He returned to Ireland and set up a veterinary practice in Mohill, Co. Leitrim, where he was to spent the rest of his life. His reputation was such that his duties in Mohill included the treatment of the horses of the Irish Army. Thomas was also involved in the Royal Agricultural Society of Ireland, and was a judge at major horse shows around the country. He was also a well known breeder of dairy shorthorn cattle.
Thomas died aged 56 at his home in Mohill of what was then referred to as 'creeping paralysis', nowadays known as multiple sclerosis.
Events
| Birth | 15 Oct 1880 | Sheepwalk, Frenchpark, Co. Roscommon | |||
| Marriage | 12 Dec 1921 | Mohill, Co. Leitrim - Margaret (Gretta) REYNOLDS | |||
| Death | 21 Mar 1937 | Main St., Mohill, Co. Leitrim |
Families
| Spouse | Margaret (Gretta) REYNOLDS (1897 - ) |
| Child | Mary GORDON (1922 - 2013) |
| Child | John GORDON (1923 - 1998) |
| Child | Thomas (Tom) GORDON (1924 - 1996) |
| Child | James GORDON (1926 - 1942) |
| Child | Margaret (Gretta) GORDON (1927 - 2006) |
| Child | Zena Marie GORDON (1928 - 2013) |
| Child | Living |
| Child | Joan Angela GORDON (1931 - 2014) |
| Child | Living |
| Child | Cormac GORDON (1933 - 2001) |
| Child | Dermot GORDON (1935 - 1935) |
| Child | Living |
| Father | John GORDON (1838 - 1895) |
| Mother | Mary Josephine O'CONNOR (1843 - 1906) |
| Sibling | Patrick GORDON (1870 - 1912) |
| Sibling | Mary GORDON (1871 - 1944) |
| Sibling | Martin GORDON (1873 - 1918) |
| Sibling | John (Johnny) GORDON (1874 - 1969) |
| Sibling | James GORDON (1876 - 1955) |
| Sibling | Catherine (Kate) GORDON (1877 - 1950) |
| Sibling | Ellen (Helen) GORDON (1879 - 1962) |
| Sibling | Ann (Annie) M. GORDON (1879 - 1975) |
| Sibling | Cormac GORDON (1881 - 1927) |
| Sibling | Michael GORDON (1883 - ) |