Roll of Honor
Incident
Found dead in bed the morning after he was struck a number of blows to the head with an iron bar and later kicked in the head, when he and a colleague discovered three men stealing from a chicken coop at an engineering works.
On 16th March the following year all three men were found guilty of the officer’s murder and were sentenced to death but Queen Victoria later reprieved the men and they each received fifteen years penal servitude instead.
PC Gordon lay in an unmarked grave until 13th November 2013 when we were able to place a headstone in his memory.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-GB-SHB-67037BCD- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 tribute.
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Tributes
133 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Police Constable Gordon served with the St Helens Borough Police.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Constable James Gordon is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.
In ENG, 702 of 2,827 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 24.8% of this state's fallen. That is 24.8 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At St Helens Borough Police, 2 of 6 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 33.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James Gordon's cause is highlighted.
How James Gordon Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. James Gordon is highlighted in Nov.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths.
Others Who Wore This Badge
5 officers from St Helens Borough Police are honored on badge.nw.
