Gordon was born at Shotton Colliery, County Durham in 1928.  His Father died in a pit accident when he was only 4 months old.  A few years later when his mother Sarah married, they moved to Easington Colliery where Sarah opened a washer.  It was Gordon's job to pick up people's dirty washing before school and take the clean clothes back on his return.  He grew up through the war and took on various jobs before he was called up aged 18 to do his national service in Burma, during which time he courted Myrtle Welsh.  One his return he signed up for working down the pit, married Myrtle and had 2 children, Heather and Gordon.

Gordon grafted hard to provide his family with a lovely home and for the rest of his working life, Gordon was a pitman, facing accident, disaster, political upheaval and finally chronic emphysema, which took his life in 1999.

Gordon's writing reflects his life, through memories, anecdotes, humour and comment.