(middle),
Matabeleland, 1893 Born on 5 May 1859 at
Ampney Park,
Gloucestershire, England, he was the son of
Robert Francis Gifford, 2nd Baron Gifford, and the brother of
Edric Gifford, 3rd Baron Gifford. On the completion of his education, he entered the Merchant Service, and was on board the training ship
Worcester for three years. In 1878, he entered the service of the British Steam Navigation Company, in which he remained until 1882, visiting many parts of the globe. That same year he fought in the
Mahdist War and served as assistant correspondent to the
Daily Telegraph at the time of the engagement of Tel-el-Kebir. He then went to
Canada for 11 years and fought in the
North-West Rebellion as one of "French's Scouts" under Lord Minto, earning the
North West Canada Medal and clasp. Next, Gifford went to
South Africa and became general manager of the Bechuanaland Exploration Company and soon became involved in the
First Matabele War, 1893. In the
Second Matabele War, 1896, he was part of the Bulawayo Field Force during the Siege of
Bulawayo, raised ''Gifford's Horse'', and lost his right arm to a Nbatabele bullet. In the
Second Boer War, he was attached to the
Imperial Yeomanry and was part of the
Rhodesian Horse. He participated in the
Relief of Mafeking.
Personal life He married Marguerite Thorold, the daughter of Captain Thorold of
Boothby Pagnell, on 21 September 1897. Among the presents that Gifford gave to his wife at the wedding was the bullet that cost him his arm. He set it in Matabele gold and arranged it so that the yellow metal formed a double-headed serpent. On 1 July 1910, while undergoing a rest cure for nervous breakdown, Gifford met his death from a fire caused by his clothes being set alight by a cigarette. He had been cleaning his clothing with petrol just before the incident. ==References==