HUGH GORDON LANGTON (1885 – 1917) - Violinist

A few weeks ago I saw a photograph of the grave of Hugh Gordon Langton posted on a commemorative First World War Facebook Group page.   Someone had visited the Poelcapelle British Cemetery in Belgium, noticed Hugh's grave and felt it was unusual.  I just had to find out more.

Gifted violinist Hugh Gordon Langton, was born in London and studied the violin with some of the most famous music professors of the era.  Like his father, Hugh was a Freemason. 

Hugh joined the 4^th Battalion of the London Regiment during WW1 and was killed during the Battle of Passchendaele on 26^th October 1917.   He was buried in Poelcapelle British Cemetery, Langemark-Poelkapelle, West Flanders, Ieper/Ypres, Belgium, Grave Reference: Sp. Mem. 3.   His Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstone is unusual in that it has some musical notes engraved on it.  

A note on Hugh's memorial on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website suggested that the musical notes might have been taken from the popular song "After the Ball", a popular song written in 1891 by Charles K. Harris.  However, it occurred to me that the notes might not come from that tune, as Hugh was a classical musician.  So I asked our talented musician friend David Windle if he could identify them.  David, who is Musical Director of the Tower Circus in Blackpool, Lancashire, UK, told me that, although the tune is similar, the notes are not from "After the Ball". 

David researched Hugh’s life story and was moved to compose a piece of music with a violin cadenza in honour of Hugh Gordon Langton.  He has called the piece “Langton’s Theme” - David has written the score which includes a violin cadenza and is hoping it will be performed.  Singer Lynne Fox produced a short video to accompany the music David composed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iOho4c_bJg&feature=player_embedded

The local brass Band at Harelbeke near the cemetery in Belgium have also composed a piece of music which they play every year at Hugh’s graveside.

For further information about David's composition, please contact David Windle on circus2016@outlook.com

Here is a painting of a WW1 violinist in uniform, painted by the Scottish artist William Bernard Reid (1879–1961) - it is signed and dated 1916.

posted by Paul Simadas on the Facebook page Artists of the First World War

https://www.facebook.com/groups/385353788875799