THIS WEBSITE contains a digital version of Thord the Warrior, a biography of the adventurer and military figure Ivor Thord-Gray (1878-1964), written by his nephew, the late Arne G Hallström.

Born in Stockholm in 1878, Thord lived an extraordinary life, fighting for the British in the Anglo-Boer War and Second Zulu War, the rebels in the Mexican Revolution, the Allies in the First World War, and the White Russian Army in the Russian Civil War.

But there were many other strings to his bow, including a deep interest in anthropology, resulting, among other things, in a 1 170-page lexicon on the language of the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico. He also became a sought-after speaker at universities on a wide range of topics.

Ultimately, though, this fascinating account of his far-flung adventures is unified by a single theme: raised in Sweden on Viking values, Thord remained committed to them throughout his life.

The site comprises an overview, written by the editor, Rob Meintjes, followed by sections on the preface by the author, Arne G Hallström, and ten chapters, each comprising a summary plus a link to a PDF. The PDFs are in A4 format, suited to printouts on desktop printers.

This site is sponsored by Sverker Hallström, Thord’s grand-nephew, who also facilited the completion of the biography.

Thord’s gravestone in Stockholm. The legend reads:

‘IVOR THORD-GRAY
Major-General / Doctor of Philosophy
Born in Stockholm 17/4/1878
Died in Miami 18/8/1964
Warrior on Four Continents
Scientist and Philantropist’