23 February 1884

Sir Garnet Wolseley arrives in Khartoum two days after it has fallen to the Sudanese, and finds General Gordon dead. The fact that he took so long is blamed by the British press and public on Gladstone, whose popular nickname of ‘GOM’ – Grand Old Man – is reversed to ‘MOG’ – Murderer Of Gordon. The opprobrium heaped on Gladstone conveniently ignores the fact that Gordon had disobeyed his orders to evacuate the Sudan.