John Longley

Major General Sir John Raynsford Longley KCMG CB (7 March 1867 – 13 February 1953) was a British Army officer who reached high command during World War I.

Sir John Longley
Born	(1867-03-07)7 March 1867
Died	13 February 1953(1953-02-13) (aged 85)
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1887–1920 1939–1945
Rank	Major General
Unit	East Surrey Regiment
Commands held	1st Battalion, East Surrey Regiment 82nd Brigade 10th (Irish) Division 44th (Home Counties) Division
Battles/wars	Second Boer War World War I World War II
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Companion of the Order of the Bath Mentioned in despatches (10)

Memorial plaque to Longley in All Saints Church, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey

Military career

Educated at Cheltenham College,[1] Longley was commissioned into the East Surrey Regiment in 1887 and served in South Africa in 1902, towards the end of the Second Boer War.[2] In 1911 he was appointed Commanding Officer of 1st East Surreys and went to France in August 1914 at the start of World War I, fighting in the battles of Mons, Le Cateau, the Marne, the Aisne, La Bassée and Armentières.[1] In early 1915 he was appointed Commander of 82nd Infantry Brigade and in December 1915, with the rank of Major General, he became the General Officer Commanding 10th (Irish) Division.[3] He retained command of this division until 1919, serving in Salonika, before moving to Egypt in September 1917 where the division was part of XX Corps in its advance into Palestine.[4] In 1919 Longley became General Officer Commanding 44th (Home Counties) Division before retiring in 1923.[2]

From 1920 to 1939 Longley held the colonelcy of the East Surrey Regiment.[5] Recalled at the start of the Second World War in 1939, he was re-employed as a Brigadier in the Dover Garrison.[1] He died on 13 February 1953.[4] The East Surrey Regimental chapel in All Saints Church, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, has a memorial plaque to Longley and a stained glass window to the memory of both Longley and his son, killed in 1916 at the Battle of Jutland.[6]

Honours and awards

	Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG)	1919[7]
	Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG)	1918[8]
	Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB)	1916[4]
	Queen's South Africa Medal	With four clasps
	1914 Star	With clasp 5 Aug – 22 November 1914
	British War Medal
	Victory Medal	With palm for Mentioned in Dispatches
	Defence Medal
	War Medal 1939–1945
	King George V Coronation Medal	1911
	King George V Silver Jubilee Medal	1935
	King George VI Coronation Medal	1937
	Commander of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus (Italy)	1917[9]
	Grand Officer of the Order of the Nile (Egypt)	1919[10]

References

1. Major General Sir John Raynsford Longley KCMG CB 1920–39 Queen's Royal Surreys website
2. "Longley, John". Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives. Archived from the original on 5 February 2011. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
3. Army Commands Archived 5 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine
4. Who Was Who 1951–1960. Bloomsbury Publishing, London. 1984. ISBN 0-7136-2598-8.
5. "East Surrey Regiment". Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 4 January 2006. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
6. Memorials within the Chapels Queen's Royal Surreys website
7. No. 31395". The London Gazette (Supplement). 6 June 1919. p. 7422.
8. "No. 30717". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 May 1918. p. 6487.
9. "No. 30263". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 August 1917. p. 9101.
10. "No. 31659". The London Gazette (Supplement). 25 November 1919. p. 14635.

Military offices
Preceded by Bryan Mahon	General Officer Commanding the 10th (Irish) Division 1915–1919	Succeeded by George Gorringe
New title	General Officer Commanding 44th (Home Counties) Division 1919–1923	Succeeded by Sir Henry Hodgson