Cecil Langridge was born on 15th August 1899 at Lewes, Sussex. There were sixteen people with the surname “Langridge” living in Chailey
when the 1901 census was taken and Cecil Langridge was one of them. He appears
as the youngest member of a family of four. The family was living at Broomfield,
South Common, Chailey and was headed by George Langridge (a 33 year old farmer/employer from Chailey) and his wife, Harriet
Langridge, also aged 33 and originally from Wiltshire. The couple had two sons:
Albert Langridge (aged three) and Cecil (aged one). Both children had been born
in Chailey.
Cecil enlisted with the Royal Navy
on 24th July 1915. He obviously indicated that he wished
to serve for a period of twelve years because on his record it indicates “15 August 1917 - 12 years”. The date would have been his 18th
birthday. Unfortunately, he had already been dead for over a year by then.
On joining it was noted that Cecil
was five feet, six and a half inches tall, had brown hair, grey eyes and a fresh complexion.
He gave his occupation as assistant gardener. He was given
the number J42643 and posted to HMS Ganges, a shore-based boys’ training
establishment at Shotley. His rating was boy, 2nd class. On 21st January
1916, still at Shotley, he was promoted to the rating of boy,
1st class and then, on 29th January, spent three days at Portsmouth before being transferred to HMS Invincible.
He was serving on board HMS Invincible when she was sunk at the Battle of Jutland on 31st May 1916.
On 9th June, The Sussex Express
“expressed to Mr and Mrs G Langridge of Broomfields Farm, South Common, who had a young son on HMS Invincible,
now feared lost.” and two weeks later, The East Sussex News confirmed the worst:
TWO CHAILEY SAILORS DROWNED
Blacksmith S Bristow and Seaman C Langridge of Chailey were drowned when HMS Invincible was sunk during The Battle off Jutland.
The Commonwealth War Graves’
Commission’s Debt of Honour Register notes additionally that Cecil was the “son of George and Elizabeth Langridge,
of Herontye Lodge, Lewes Rd., East Grinstead. Native of Chailey, Sussex.” In addition to being commemorated on Chailey’s war memorial, Cecil's name also
appears on panel 14 of the Portsmouth Naval Memorial in Hampshire (see photo on this page).
Cecil's brother Albert also served his King and Country during the First World War.
Sources & Acknowledgements:
- Cecil Langridge’s partial naval service record exists at the National Archives in London, ref:
ADM 188/732
- The 1901 Census of England and Wales
- Chailey Parish Magazine
- The Sussex Express
- The East Sussex News
- The Commonwealth War Graves’ Commission’s Debt of Honour Register
- Steve Rogers of The British War Memorial Project for permission to use the photograph from the Portsmouth naval Memorial that appears on this page
