Ivor Thord-Gray

April 1914 U.S. Invasion of Veracruz: a cast of characters

The cast of characters engaged in and around the events leading up to the US invasion of Veracruz in April 1914 were:
 

Petroleum interests around Tampico at the time were controlled by Americans, but around Veracruz, it was British, with Weetman D. Pearson, aka Lord Cowdray, representing the British consortium. Pearson  enjoyed the ferocious support Sir Lionel Cardon of the British Consulate in Mexico City, who had represented British interests in Mexico for decades.  Pearson's secretary was J.B. Body and Cardon's secretary was Thomas Hohler.   Cardon will figure big in our story.

WMD's and the April 1914 U.S. Invasion of Veracruz

The US invaded Veracruz, Mexico in April 1914, and interestingly enough, one might still wonder why: nearly a century has passed, and the actual objectives of the war are still rather obscure. The cover story that ran at the time was of a valiant effort to stop weapons of mass destruction (machine guns) from falling into the hand of a dictator. 

Ironically, the reactionary US ambassador Henry Lane Wilson, a holdout from the Taft administration, had given the diplomatic green light for General Huerta to climb over the dead bodies of President Francisco Madero and Vice President Jóse Mária Pino Suarez, to assume the presidency that the Wilson administration sought to bring down.

I. Thord-Gray's Military Service Record

Ivor Thord-Gray, Veracruz Mexico October 1914Just to put things in perspective, the story of Ivor.Thord-Gray in the Mexican Revolution, incredible as it is, is just a slice from the pie. The memoir “Gringo Rebel” is an account only of the years 1913-1914. Here is a complete history of his military service, indicating date of commission, and rank:

A Timeline of the Mexican Revolution

The three hundred years of Spanish Colonial History, and the hundred years that followed the War of Independence, are so full of persecution of the Indians and Peons that it would fill a large volume to scratch only a small part of the surface of these centuries.

Killer-Angels: In Defense of the Historical Novel

Good historical novels are praised until they get too good, and then they are savaged in reviews as bad history.     Reviewing John Harris’ novel “So Far From God”, loosely based on “Gringo Rebel”, forces the question on us, since it is a really great example of the very bad historical novel.    So before looking at “So Far From God”, we ought to look at some examples of excellent historical novels, so as not to encourage the throwing out of the baby out with the bath-water.

Smallpox and the Mexican Revolution

Often overlooked in the chronicles of the revolution, a grim scythe of smallpox rode in behind the vanguard of soldiers with terrible effect, especially along the Pacific coast of Mexico.     

Thord-Gray's Biographer

We saw here how an arrow from Cupid’s bow was required to bend the course of Timothy G. Turner's life, bringing him to Mexico and eventually crossing paths with Ivor Thord-Gray.   Well, it appears that cupid spent another arrow, changing the trajectory of Stellan.Bojerud’s life to become the biographer of Ivor Thord-Gray:

Let's Go With Pancho Villa

Translation is always a delicate topic, and when I first saw Adolfo Arrioja Vizcaino’s biographical work on Ivor Thord-Gray’s service with the Mexican Revolution: “El.Sueco Que Se Fue Con Pancho Villa” – (which literally translates as “(The Swede Who Went With Pancho Villa)”, it struck me as perhaps a little sensational, since most of Ivor Thord-Gray’s service in the Mexican Revolutionary Army was with Carranza, serving under Generals Lucio Blanco and General Álvaro Obregón. 

Nordenskjold Not Murdered

It’s not often that the New York Times runs an story about someone being not-murdered, but here you have it:

New York Times, May 19, 1914

NORDENSKJOLD IS SAFE Swedish Explorer in South America Not Murdered by Indians Berlin – May 18 – Baron Erland von Nordenskjold, the leader of a Swedish South American exploring expedition, who was reported to have been killed by Indians on March 14, is safe. The news of the Baron’s escape from the Indians reached here to-day in a letter from Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, dated March 21, which reported his arrival at Trinidad, the capital of the Bolivian Department of Beni.

Erland Nordenskiöld (or Nordenskjöld) was an Swedish geologist, paleontologist, linguist and anthropologist, son of the Baron Adolf Erik, discoverer of the Northwest passage. He traveled throughout Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Panama and Columbia from 1898 through 1927, writing a number of books, all of which continue to be valued, out-of-print titles today.

General I. Thord-Gray Lent His Sword to Many Troubled Flags

General I. Thord-Gray, Swedish born citizen of the United States, has lent his sword to many troubled flags. In 1897 he joined a British cavalry regiment serving in Pondoland, Tembuland, East Griqualand, Cape Colony, Orange Free State and Transvaal until the Boer War ended, 1902. He raised a squadron in Johannesburg 1905 for active service with the Germans in Damaraland. Was squadron commander, Royston’s Horse, Zulu War 1906.

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