On 14 October 1914, Mary, Princess Royal, daughter of King
George V and Queen Mary inaugurated the ‘Princess Mary’s
Sailors’ and Soldiers’ Christmas Fund’ so that a Christmas gift
could be sent to all at the Front. The present was an embossed brass box, which bore a profile of Princess Mary with the initial ‘M’ on either side, within a decorative border containing the Allies' names at the beginning of the war and the words.’Christmas 1914’.

Princess Mary was no stranger to Major Gordon. While working at Apsley House, he was tasked by the Duchess of Wellington to bring the royal children to the strong room to see the magnificent silver collection. A metro drove by while descending the stairs to the cellar making an intense noise. Mary grabbed Major Gordon’s hand for comfort.

introduced into the French Army in July 1915 and credited to Intendant-General Louis Auguste, many other countries, including Belgium, later adopted the 'Adrian' Pattern steel helmet during the First World War. The first batch were regular French (bleu) army helmets which were painted khaki and featured a lion-faced crest attached to the front.

It is unsure if Major Gordon was ever presented or ever wore an Adrian helmet while visiting the front. However, he was presented the (now extremely) rare Anglo-Belgian helmet designed by John MacIntosh and produced by Sankey Ltd of Wolverhampton, it was fitted with a ballistic visor at the express request of Queen Elizabeth of Belgium to protect the eyes of her troops. Major Gordon donated this helmet after the war to the Tower of London where it's kept on display today.