Obituary: Jamie Gordon

Jamie Gordon had a knack for forming close bonds with people whether young or old.

Born to a Zimbabwean mother and a Scottish father, he was much-loved by his many aunts, uncles and cousins on both sides.

His death in the Tavistock Square bus explosion on 7 July 2005 was a huge loss to his many friends and large family, none more so than his parents.

"To his mother, he was simply the best son in the world," the inquest into his death heard.

To his father, Jamie was a best friend, the statement from his parents read.

Born on 19 December 1974 in south London to Pairose Bond and Glaswegian David Gordon, Jamie moved to Harare with his mother and sister when he was four.

His father visited several times as Jamie threw himself into school, scouting, horseriding and BMX.

More than a decade later, he returned to Britain to finish his education at Eaglesfield secondary school in Shooters Hill, south London.

Out of school, he joined the scouts and formed a band with friends, playing guitar and singing at several gigs.

At the inquest, his parents told of Jamie's changing face.

He went from "the exuberant child who seemed to fear nothing, to the long-haired, rock star teenager, all hair, nail varnish, black mascara and guitars, to the mature, but still quirky young man", they said.

In the words of his father, Jamie "wanted to be a rock star, but fell into financial administration".

But it was only after some fun in Ibiza that, in 1997, he put on a suit and moved into the City. That same year, Jamie's older half-brother, David, died of a brain haemorrhage.

For several years Jamie worked in finance in Old Street, east London.

It was a job that he normally reached by taking an overground train from Enfield in north London, where he lived with his fiancee Yvonne Nash, to Liverpool Street, before walking the final three-quarters of a mile to his office.

But on the night before the London attacks, Mr Gordon, 30, had stayed at a friend's house after a leaving party. His route to work the next morning led him to take the number 30 bus that exploded in Tavistock Square.

At his side for seven years was his devoted girlfriend, who had, six months before his death, become his fiancee.

"It sounds very cliched, but he was my soulmate, my best friend," Ms Nash said in the wake of the attacks.

"We complemented each other. I took a back seat and was the organiser, while he was just happy to entertain everyone."

At the inquest, his parents said: "Jamie was a funny, tolerant and charming young man who could be irritatingly late, but rarely ever shortchanged any of us.

"His loyalty and humour saw him through many tight spots and his continual growth made it easier for us to accept the changing world we lived in.

"The essence of Jamie left an indelible mark on all who met him and, to this day, on the important dates, both friends and family gather to remember him."