Queen's South Africa Medal 1899-1902

Obverse Bust of Queen Victoria, crowned and veiled, with order (left) Legend: 'VICTORIA REGINA ET IMPERATRIX'. Reverse: Britannia standing wearing a helmet (right), a flag in her left hand, holding out a wreath in her right hand towards troops on the march, ships in distance. Legend: 'SOUTH AFRICA'. Inscription on edge: 'G.W.LANGDOWN, STO. H.M.S.TERRIBLE'. Fitted with a bar and orange ribbon edged with red, with two narrow blue stripes. Mounted on bar with MED1082.

George William Frederick Langdown (1878-1940) was born and died at Portsmouth. His father, George William Langdown al briefly served in the Royal Navy. In 1891, George William Frederick was on the ‘Formidible’ a reformatory and industrial school training ship at Bristol. In 1894, aged sixteen and a fisherman’s apprentice; he was charged with three other apprentices (also from the ‘Formidable), with stealing a small yacht called the ‘Arrow’, property of George Furneaux of Brixham. Langdown was trying to get back to Portsmouth. For this offence he was sentenced to 14 days hard labour. In May 1897 he joined the RN as a stoker and signed up for twelve years’ service. From March 1898 to November 1903 he served in ‘Terrible’, much of this time during the Second Boer War. As his medal does not have any bars for actions, it seems probable that he did not serve in a naval brigade on shore. ‘Terrible’ was also deployed to China during the Boxer Rebellion and he also received the China Medal. After September 1903 he was attached to depot ships ‘Warrior’, ‘Fire Queen’ and ‘Erebus’ before being transferred to the newly-refitted HMS ‘Canopus’ in January 1905. She was proceeding to the China Station, when a British alliance with Japan rendered her presence there no longer necessary and she was transferred to the Atlantic Fleet. From July 1906 to December 1907, Langdown was is ‘Sapphire II’ – a destroyer depot ship. He was rated leading stoker while attached to HMS ‘Fisgard’, the engineer training base at Portsmouth in 1910. He was in ‘Attentive’, part of the 2nd destroyer flotilla in 1911. Langdown’s last active service was in ‘Venerable’ in the Atlantic and Home Fleets. He retired due to problems with his eyesight in 1914.
He married Mary Edith Pether at Portsmouth in 1904 and the couple settled there and had three children. In 1921 Langdown was working for the Admiralty Engineering Department and in 1939 working as a general labourer at the Royal Army Ordnance Depot at Hilsea.