Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

Lord Adam Granville Gordon (1 March 1909 – 5 July 1984) was a British royal courtier. Gordon was the second son of Lt.-Col. Granville Cecil Douglas Gordon (1883–1930), who was later an

equerry An equerry (; from French ' stable', and related to 'squire') is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attendant, usually up ...

to the

Duke of Connaught Duke of Connaught and Strathearn was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom that was granted on 24 May 1874 by Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland to her third son, Prince Arthur. At the same time, he was also ...

, and Violet Ida Streatfeild. His grandfather was Lord Granville Armyne Gordon (1856–1907), sixth son of the 10th Marquess of Huntly. He was educated at

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...

and joined the territorial division of the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

in 1927, rising to the rank of

and fought in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

(where he was

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

and afterwards awarded the MBE). In 1937, his elder brother,

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals *Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil W ...

, inherited their great-uncle's title of

Marquess of Huntly Marquess of Huntly (traditionally spelled Marquis in Scotland; Scottish Gaelic: ''Coileach Strath Bhalgaidh'') is a title in the Peerage of Scotland that was created on 17 April 1599 for George Gordon, 6th Earl of Huntly. It is the oldest existing ...

, and Adam and his younger brothers were granted the rank of a marquess's younger sons, enabling him to use the prefix ''Lord''. In 1953, Lord Adam succeeded Gp. Capt. Peter Townsend as Comptroller and Assistant Private Secretary to The Queen Mother, a post he held until his retirement in 1974. He was knighted in 1960 and died in 1984. He received the Queen Elizabeth II Version of the

Royal Household Long and Faithful Service Medal The Royal Household Long and Faithful Service Medal is a civil decoration awarded by the British monarch to servants of the royal household for long and faithful service. History The Royal Household Long and Faithful Service Medal was establish ...

in 1973 for 20 years of service to the Royal Family. In 1947, he married Pamela, daughter of Alexander Herriot Bowhill of Inchmarlo . They had two sons, Adam Alexander (born 1948) and Douglas Herriot (born 1951),

Page of Honour A Page of Honour is a ceremonial position in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. It requires attendance on state occasions, but does not now involve the daily duties which were once attached to the office of page. The onl ...

to Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

, 1965–67.

References

1909 births 1984 deaths British Army personnel of World War II Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Members of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Eton College Royal Artillery officers Younger sons of marquesses {{UK-noble-stub