Desmond Langley

Sir Desmond Langley
Born	16 May 1930
Died	14 February 2008(2008-02-14) (aged 77)
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1949 - 1988
Rank	Major-General
Commands held	London District
Battles/wars	Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation
Awards	Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Member of the Order of the British Empire

Major-General Sir Henry Desmond Allen Langley KCVO MBE (16 May 1930 - 14 February 2008) was Major-General Commanding the Household Division and General Officer Commanding London District.

Military career

Educated at Eton College and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Langley was commissioned into the Life Guards in 1949.^[1] He was posted to Egypt and then to Libya.^[1] He then served with HQ Far East Land Forces during the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation in the early 1960s.^[1] He later became Commanding Officer of the Household Cavalry Regiment and Silver Stick to The Queen.^[1] In 1976 he was appointed Commander of 4th Guards Armoured Brigade and in 1978 he became a Brigadier on the General Staff at UK Land Forces.^[1]

He became Major-General Commanding the Household Division and General Officer Commanding London District in 1979^[1] organising, inter alia, the military ceremony for the marriage of the Prince Charles and Princess Diana.^[2] His final appointment was as Commander of British Forces in Cyprus in 1983.^[1] He retired in 1988.^[1]

In retirement he was Governor of Bermuda from 1988 to 1992.^[1]

Family

In 1950 he married Felicity (Flick) Oliphant and they went on to have a son and a daughter.^[1]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j} Obituary: Major-General Sir Desmond Langley Daily Telegraph, 1 April 2008
2. ^ Obituary: Major-General Sir Desmond Langley The Times, 7 March 2008

Military offices
Preceded by Sir John Swinton	GOC London District 1979–1983	Succeeded by Sir James Eyre
Government offices
Preceded by Viscount Dunrossil	Governor of Bermuda 1988–1992	Succeeded by Lord Waddington

Persondata
Name	Langley, Desmond
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	16 May 1930
Place of birth
Date of death	14 February 2008
Place of death