William "Willie" Langford (1889-1917)
From West Bromwich, served with 1st/5th DLI, killed in action at Arras
With a thick Black Country accent, William “Willie” Langford must have had some difficulty making himself understood when he first found himself in the 1st/5th Battalion Durham Light Infantry (DLI). At the same time, he probably only understood half of what the Durham men were saying to him!
William was born in West Bromwich, Staffordshire (now West Midlands) in 1889. His father, John, worked in the iron forges of the Black Country as a puddler. The whole family were West Bromwich born and bred: mother, Sarah and siblings Lily, Samuel and Annie.
In 1913, John Langford died, leaving Willie as head of the family, supporting his mother and younger siblings. He too found work in the local ironworks. With the call to war, Willie duly enlisted as a private. With the huge loss of fighting men in the opening months of the war, recruits who might originally have expected to join a local regiment, now found themselves enlisted wherever gaps in the fighting force needed to be plugged; Willie was enlisted in the 1st/5th Battalion DLI, part of the 50th Northumbrian Division.
In April 1917, the 50th Division, including Willie’s battalion, was sent to Arras to provide a diversion for a French attack on the Chemin des Dames. The battalion’s war diary records how the men had to march from their billets at Chestnut Camp, Coigneux, in preparation for their attack at Wancourt Ridge. They covered a distance of 32 kms (almost 20 miles) on a hot day, with several soldiers overcome by the heat and having to drop out en route.
On 23 April 1917, as the fighting continued Private Langford was killed in action. He was 28 years old. Willie’s body was never recovered from the battlefield but he is commemorated on the Arras Memorial.
Birth date: 1889
Death date: 23-Apr-1917
Armed force/civilian: Army
Residence: 25 Tunnel Road, West Bromwich (ecclesiastical parish of St James 1891 census)
11 Witton Lane, Hill Top, West Bromwich (1901 census)
3 Witton Lane, West Bromwich (1911 census)
Employment: Ironworker
Family: Parents: John Langford (1862-1913), Sarah Ann Langford (possibly nee Washbrook) (1865-1934)
Siblings: Lily Langford (b 1894), Samuel Langford (b 1896), Annie Langford (b 1899)
Military service:
8620 (later 200875) Private, 1st/5th Battalion DLI
Medal(s): British War Medal, Victory Medal
Memorial(s): Arras Memorial, France, Bay 8.
Gender: Male
Contributed by Kelloe Visitor, Trimdon Station
