New book on the county’s military history released

Apr 10, 2024

Everyone has likely heard the old adage “Age is only a number”, while there are many who may scoff at this motivational saying, there are also many who view it as a challenge. There are many instances throughout history and in the present day of people doing and achieving amazing things in their later years.

One local resident definitely chose the latter attitude; Robert Gordon has taken a lifelong fascination for history and in particular his interest in local military history to write a book on the subject. Titled “Captains & Colonels of Peterborough County” Mr. Gordon’s new book was recently released, only a few weeks before he celebrated his 90th birthday.

Captains & Colonels chronicles the story of the county’s military past through much of the 1800s including the earliest days of settlement in the area by many former soldiers, the establishment of mills and subsequently towns by many higher ranking officials of the era, it continues with details of the volunteer soldiers and the various campaigns they were involved with, it also delves into the commercial and political atmosphere that existed during those formative years. The book is available for purchase, details are included below.

Authorship is not a new experience for Rob Gordon, in fact he now has three unique history books to his credit including his first book called “Toronto: A Story in Stone” that tells the story of the stonemasons that built many of Toronto’s grand buildings, his second book “Norwood, Dressed in Khaki” is a study of a unique collection of World War I letters from 1914 to 1919.

Robert John Gordon was born in the United Kingdom in August of 1933. He lived at New Cross, London where one of his first memories is one that will not be familiar to most, gas fired lighting and in Rob’s case gas jets on the walls. Around 1937 his family moved to Mottingham, Kent where he attended the local “Mottingham Infant School”. He recalls each afternoon the pupils having their ‘nap’ outside on cots under a grey sky. Later he attended the local elementary school and vividly remembers receiving for some indiscretion his first caning, two on each hand. Many of Rob’s memories from this time focus on war time preparations and actions such as being issued a gas mask, air raids, teachers reading stories by flashlight and even having ‘cluster incendiary bombs falling onto the playground. As the danger encroached he was evacuated to Norfolk where he somehow dented his gas mask case and was dutifully punished for it by being held back after class. He returned home only to be evacuated again with his mother and sisters to Croken Hill. Returning home he was once again uprooted due to the threat from German flying bombs and rockets and sent to the famous walled city of York. This placement was in a way fortuitous for Rob as the historical city helped to develop his interest in history. One of the earliest bits of history he learned was the story of the infamous highwayman Dick Turpin and his eventual hanging at York Castle. His connection to the military was forged early on as his father was in the Royal Air Force and as a young teenager he started to have an appreciation for the “soldiers stories” when he worked with Italian Prisoners of War on a farm picking sugar beets and potatoes. Rob left school at the age of fourteen and worked on a smallholding before obtaining a job in a photo studio.

He soon became a member of the British Red Cross volunteering at a hospital. At the age of eighteen he volunteered for National Service in the Royal Army Medical Corps. Following basic training, he served in the British Army of the Rhine stationed in the British Zone, Germany. After completing his service and at the age of twenty- three he made the move to Toronto, Canada. He soon established himself as a freelance reporter and photographer providing material for The Globe and Mail, including covering the visits to Toronto by well-known individuals such as John Diefenbaker, John Robarts and Robert Stanfield. In 1967 he established his own photography studio and provided his services to a wide variety of companies. Also around this time he attended and received his degree as a graduate of the University of Toronto.

Rob met his wife Rose while working with the Globe and Mail and together they raised two daughters.

Rob eventually purchased land in Asphodel Township; the property contained a derelict stone farmhouse that once belonged to the Metcalf family. Over several years he restored the historic home and in due course made the permanent move to the area. In recent years he and Rose have made the move to Peterborough.

Musically gifted on the piano and violin he was a member of the Donegal Fiddlers Orchestra and Kawartha Strings. He is a life member of the Royal Canadian Legion Br 300 where he is justifiably proud to have been the driving force that established the branch’s incredible military museum.

Captains & Colonels of Peterborough County is a unique historical account of local militia, their commanding officers, political wrangling’s and personal stories of some famous local people. The project was more than four years in the making as Covid considerably hampered Rob’s ability to research many of the topics and people included in the work. Copies are for sale for $20 each and can be ordered by calling Rob personally at 705-743-8322.

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