The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (3) Sergeant John Hudson Langley DCM and Bar, 1st Light Car Patrol, AIF,First World War.

The Last Post Ceremony is presented in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial each day. The ceremony commemorates more than 102,000 Australians who have given their lives in war and other operations and whose names are recorded on the Roll of Honour. At each ceremony the story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour is told. Hosted by Alison Creagh, the story for this day was on (3) Sergeant John Hudson Langley DCM and Bar, 1st Light Car Patrol, AIF,First World War.

3 Sergeant John Hudson Langley DCM and Bar, 1st Light Car Patrol, AIF
Died of illness: 2 January 1919
Photograph: DACS0128

Story delivered 25 July 2017

Today we remember and pay tribute to Sergeant John Langley DCM and Bar.

Known as “Jack”, John Hudson Langley was born on 10 April 1894 in Kew, Victoria, the only child of John and Eda Langley. In 1905 his parents separated and divorced. When his father moved to the Gilbert Islands for work, and his mother remarried and relocated to Sydney, the young Langley was sent to live with his paternal aunt, Louisa.

Langley attended Sandhurst Corporate High School, Trinity Grammar School – where he was a member of the senior cadets and a prefect – and then Castlemaine Technical School.

After completing his education, he took up an electrical apprenticeship with Thompson and Company Engineering Works in Castlemaine. Around this time he also joined the 66th (Mount Alexander) Infantry Regiment, and by 1915 had been promoted to sergeant.

Langley enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 5 July 1915, shortly after his 21st birthday. He was given a leave of absence by his employer for the duration of his service. After a brief time at a depot unit, he was sent to Broadmeadows where he joined C Company of the 31st Battalion. Here, he reunited with his old friend and fellow motor enthusiast, Ivan Young.

The two men were not long for the infantry. A new armoured car unit was being set up and privately funded by motoring enthusiasts in Victoria. Young contributed a vehicle and offered his services to the new unit. Langley, with his knowledge of vehicles, was also accepted.

In late October, work on the cars began and Langley was tasked with turning civilian vehicles into military machines. The vehicles were completed in early 1916.

Langley officially joined the 1st Armoured Car Section on 19 June and embarked with his unit from Melbourne the following day aboard the transport ship Katuna, bound for Egypt.

After the unit arrived in Egypt, it began patrolling in Libya in late August. Although Langley missed the first patrol, having been admitted to hospital with a fever, he recovered quickly and was soon back with his unit.

Known for his upstanding character and unfailing sense of fair play, Langley stood out as a combat leader. The latter half of 1916 was mainly spent fighting Senussi raiding parties in the Libyan Desert.

In May 1917, the now-renamed 1st Light Car Patrol began its involvement in the Palestine Campaign. The unit was mainly involved in reconnaissance tasks, but also took part in major actions, including Beersheba on 31 October. Langley saw further fighting as the Ottoman forces withdrew into Jordan.
In July 1918, with Ottoman forces attacking allied positions in the Jordan Valley, Langley led a two-car patrol across the Jordan River to attack an enemy column. For this action, he was awarded a Distinguished Conduct Medal. His citation reads:

For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. Then in charge of a Lewis gun section he twice stampeded enemy machine gun sections, enfiladed a trench, causing many casualties and dispersed several enemy digging parties. He captured a machine gun, killing some of the gunners and putting the rest to flight. He showed marked skill throughout.

After being briefly hospitalised following a motorbike accident, Langley took part in the Desert Mounted Corps’ drive to Damascus, and in October was part of the advance to Aleppo. On 22 October, he was part of an historical event when allied armoured and light cars met and defeated a German motor vehicle force. It was the first recorded battle between two fleets of motor vehicles.

The following day, Langley’s position was approached by an enemy patrol. His vehicle pursued the enemy over very rough terrain and after a brief skirmish, one enemy soldier had been killed and four captured. For his “brilliant example of determination and initiative” he was awarded the Bar to his Distinguished Conduct Medal.

The campaign in the Jordan Valley took a toll on Langley’s health. On New Year’s Day 1919, he was admitted to the 14th Mounted Brigade Field Ambulance at Aleppo with malignant malaria. He died the following day.

He was 24 years old.

News of his death shook his comrades badly. His commanding officer and friend Captain Ernest James remembered Langley as his “right hand man and the finest fellow that ever lived”.

Initially laid to rest with full military honours in Aleppo Cemetery, Langley was later reinterred in the British War Cemetery in Beirut, Lebanon.

His name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my right, among more than 60,000 Australians who died while serving in the First World War.

This is but one of the many stories of service and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Sergeant John Hudson Langley DCM and Bar, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.

Michael Kelly
Historian, Military History Section