Ivor Thord-Gray (born Thord Ivar Hallström) (April 17, 1878 – August 18, 1964) was a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

-born adventurer, sailor, prison guard, soldier, government official, police officer, rubber plantation owner,

ethnologist Ethnology (from the grc-gre, ἔθνος, meaning 'nation') is an academic field that compares and analyzes the characteristics of different peoples and the relationships between them (compare cultural, social, or sociocultural anthropology) ...

linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...

, investor, and author. He participated in thirteen wars spanning the continents of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

, and

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

Early life

Thord Ivar Hallström was born in the

Södermalm Södermalm, often shortened to just Söder, is a district and island in central Stockholm. Overview The district covers the large island of the same name (formerly called ''Åsön''). Although Södermalm usually is considered an island, wat ...

district in central

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

Kingdom of Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...

as the second son of a primary school teacher, August Hallström, and his wife Hilda. His eldest brother was the artist Gunnar August Hallström (1875–1943). His youngest brother was the archaeologist Gustaf Hallström (1880–1962).

Military service and civilian employment (1893-1919)

Africa

South Africa

* Joined Merchant Marine and sailed on three ships from 1893 to 1895 leaving later to settle in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

* Worked as a Prison Guard on

Robben Island Robben Island ( af, Robbeneiland) is an island in Table Bay, 6.9 kilometres (4.3 mi) west of the coast of Bloubergstrand, north of Cape Town, South Africa. It takes its name from the Dutch word for seals (''robben''), hence the Dutch/Afrik ...

in 1896 * In 1897 he enlisted in the

Cape Mounted Riflemen The Cape Mounted Riflemen were South African military units. There were two separate successive regiments of that name. To distinguish them, some military historians describe the first as the "imperial" Cape Mounted Riflemen (originally the ' ...

as a Private and fought in the

Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sou ...

in 1899–1902 * Served in the

South African Constabulary The South African Constabulary (SAC) was a paramilitary force set up in 1900 under British Army control to police areas captured from the two independent Boer republics of Transvaal and Orange Free State during the Second Boer War. Its first ...

1902–1903 *

Transvaal Colony The Transvaal Colony () was the name used to refer to the Transvaal region during the period of direct British rule and military occupation between the end of the Second Boer War in 1902 when the South African Republic was dissolved, and the ...

Civil Service 1903–1906 * Captain in the Lydenburg Militia 1904 * Joined Royston's Horse as a Lieutenant and fought in the Bambatha Rebellion 1906 being promoted Captain.

Kenya

* Captain of Nairobi Mounted Police 1907

Asia

Philippines

* Captain Philippine Constabulary ("US Foreign Legion") 1908–1909

Malaya

* Planter in

Malaya Malaya refers to a number of historical and current political entities related to what is currently Peninsular Malaysia in Southeast Asia: Political entities * British Malaya (1826–1957), a loose collection of the British colony of the Straits ...

1909–1911.

China

* Served a short time in the Chinese Revolution 1913

Mexico

* Joined

Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution ( es, Revolución Mexicana) was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from approximately 1910 to 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It resulted in the destruction ...

as Captain and Commander of Pancho Villa's artillery 1913 * Promoted Major, Lieutenant-Colonel and Colonel 1914 * Chief of Staff 1st Mexican Army 1914

Britain

* Joined

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

1914, and served in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. His initial rank was of Major and he was the second in command of 15th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers * Lieutenant-Colonel and Commanding officer of 11th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers in 1915, and then 1/26th Battalion

Royal Fusiliers The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. It was known as the 7th Regiment of Foot until the Childers Reforms of 1881. The regiment served in many wars ...

in 1916 * Awarded

1914–15 Star The 1914–15 Star is a campaign medal of the British Empire which was awarded to officers and men of British and Imperial forces who served in any theatre of the First World War against the Central European Powers during 1914 and 1915. The me ...

British War Medal The British War Medal is a campaign medal of the United Kingdom which was awarded to officers and men of British and Imperial forces for service in the First World War. Two versions of the medal were produced. About 6.5 million were struck in si ...

, and Allied Victory Medal * Lieutenant-Colonel in the

Canadian Siberian Expeditionary Force The Canadian Siberian Expeditionary Force (french: Corps expéditionnaire sibérien) (also referred to as the Canadian Expeditionary Force (Siberia) or simply the C.S.E.F.) was a Canadian military force sent to Vladivostok, Russia, during the Ru ...

, which was deployed as part of the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War in 1918.

Russia

* Transferred to Russian "White" Army February 1919 as Colonel * Commanding Officer of 1st Siberian Assault Division * Major General November 1919 and High Representative of the Provisional Siberian Government to the Allied Expeditionary Corps in

Vladivostok Vladivostok ( rus, Владивосто́к, a=Владивосток.ogg, p=vɫədʲɪvɐˈstok) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai, Russia. The city is located around the Zolotoy Rog, Golden Horn Bay on the Sea ...

Back to Sweden

In 1923, Ivor Thord-Gray returned to Sweden and wrote a book about Mexican archeology ''Från Mexicos forntid : bland tempelruiner och gudabilder''.

United States

In 1925 Thord-Gray moved to the United States and established I.T. Gray & Co, an investment bank located at 522

Fifth Avenue Fifth Avenue is a major and prominent thoroughfare in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It stretches north from Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village to West 143rd Street in Harlem. It is one of the most expensive shopping stre ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. He became a

citizen Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection". Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...

of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in 1934. He was married to Josephine Toerge-Schaefer (1925–1932) who had two children, Edward and Frances. He was subsequently married to Winnifred Ingersoll (1933–1960). In 1929, he established residence at Gray Court in Belle Haven in

Greenwich, Connecticut Greenwich (, ) is a New England town, town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the town had a total population of 63,518. The largest town on Connecticut's Gold Coast (Conne ...

. In August 1935 he was appointed Major-General and Chief-of-Staff to Governor

David Sholtz David Sholtz (October 6, 1891 – March 21, 1953) was the 26th Governor of Florida. Prior to serving as Governor he would be a state attorney serving Florida's 7th Judicial Circuit Court and previously as a member of the Florida House of Repres ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. In 1955, he wrote '' Tarahumara-English, English-Tarahumara dictionary and an introduction to Tarahumara grammar''. (Coral Gables, Fla., University of Miami Press, 1955). He also wrote a book about his experiences in the Mexican Revolution, ''Gringo Rebel: Mexico 1913–1914'' (Coral Gables, Fla. : University of Miami Press, 1961). In later years he had his winter home in

Coral Gables, Florida Coral Gables, officially City of Coral Gables, is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The city is located southwest of Downtown Miami. As of the 2020 U.S. census, it had a population of 49,248. Coral Gables is known globally as home to the ...

References

* ''Thord Ivar Hallströms handlingar'' - Some 1,000 letters and documents regarding Ivor Thord-Gray deposited in the

Kungliga Biblioteket The National Library of Sweden ( sv, Kungliga biblioteket, ''KB'', meaning "the Royal Library") is Sweden's national library. It collects and preserves all domestic printed and audio-visual materials in Swedish, as well as content with Swedish a ...

in Stockholm

Other sources

*Bojerud, Stellan ''Ivor Thord-Gray - Soldat under 13 fanor'' (Sivart Förlag AB, Stockholm. 2008) *Gyllenhaal, Lars & Westberg, Lennart ''Swedes at War'' (Aberjona Press, Bedford, PA, 2010), *Langer, Joakim ''Mannen som hittade Tarzan'' (Sivart Förlag AB, Stockholm, 2008) . *Arrioja, Adolfo Vizcaíno ''El sueco que se fue con Pancho Villa'' (Editorial Océano de México, 2000) *Turner, Timothy G. ''Bullets, Bottles and Gardenias'' (Southwest Press 1937) *Tunis, Edwin ''Weapons: a pictorial history'' P61 (The Johns Hopkins University Press 1999)

External links

Gray Court, estate of Major General Ivor Thord-Gray at Belle Haven in Greenwich, Connecticut
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thord-Gray, Ivor 1878 births 1964 deaths Military personnel from Stockholm Swedish emigrants to the United States Swedish mercenaries American ethnologists Linguists from the United States American mercenaries American male writers Naturalized citizens of the United States People from Greenwich, Connecticut People from Coral Gables, Florida People of the Mexican Revolution People of the 1911 Revolution People of the Second Boer War Canadian military personnel of the Russian Civil War American bankers British Army personnel of World War I Royal Northumberland Fusiliers officers Royal Fusiliers officers