ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 68240
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| Date: | Wednesday 15 May 1918 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Sopwith Camel F1 |
| Owner/operator: | SoSF Gosport RAF |
| Registration: | B847 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Fort Grange, Gosport, Hampshire -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Fort Grange, Gosport, Hampshire |
| Fort Grange, Gosport, Hampshire | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
With the amalgamation of the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service, forming the Royal Air Force, he was one of the many who found themselves under a different regime. On the 15th of May 1918, aged 29, he took off in a Camel aeroplane, service No. B847 from Fort Grange, Gosport, during the flight in which he was practising aerial combat, his plane entered a spin, from which it never recovered and plunged to the ground.
Lt. Langley, was instantly killed by the impact, suffering a broken neck, leaving a widow, Lorna Leslie Langley and a young family, their home was at Amesbury, Wiltshire. Lieutenant JOHN BASIL ROBERT LANGLEY, R.A.F. was buried on the 19th of May 1918, and is laid to rest, Plot 50 Grave 93, a CWG headstone commemorates him. His obituary was published in "Flight" magazine (issued date 25.5.1918 page 576 see link #2) and reads as follows:
"Lieutenant JOHN BASIL ROBERT LANGLEY, Royal Air Force, aged 29, who was killed while flying on May 15th, had his "wings" in June, 1916, and was graded flight commander while employed at a flying school in August, 1917. He was the eldest son of the Rev. John and Mrs. Langley of North Wraxall, Wiltshire.
He came over with the 19th Alberta Dragoons in the first Canadian contingent, with which he served in France, and subsequently joined the R.F.C. For some time he was an artillery observer at the front. He came home, and showing extraordinary facility in handling an aeroplane became almost at once an instructor in special flying.
Mr. Langley always maintained it was possible to roll a particular make of machine to the left, and in support of his contention had already twice successfully performed this evolution, but on the third attempt his machine nose-dived and crashed. He was a son-in-law of Sir Oliver Lodge, whose daughter, Lorna Leslie, he married on July 28th, 1917, and left a son 15 days old."
Sources:
1. The Camel File.
2. https://www.flightglobal.com/FlightPDFArchive/1918/1918%20-%200578.PDF
3. http://ww1photos.com/Names/L/LangleyJBRLtRFC.html
4. http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial/detail/3055453
5. https://gosport.info/gosport-history/anns-hill-cemetery-war-graves/war-graves-page-9-l-mc/
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 15-Sep-2009 22:41 | JINX | Added |
| 04-Sep-2017 19:06 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 04-Sep-2017 19:06 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 03-Dec-2018 16:31 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
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