Reginald Langdon
LANGDON, Reginald Yorke, BE DipMinMet(Hons) FSASM AMIE(Aust) MIME(Aust) MC JP (1884-1928)
Reginald was born on May 3, 1884, at Fullerton, Adelaide, the eldest son of ironmonger and commercial traveller Edwin Nathaniel William Langdon and his wife Susannah Emma Langdon (nee Hubble).
Reginald was a student at Way College where he won a Commercial Traveller’s Scholarship and moved to St Peter’s College, Adelaide. He completed his Junior in 1898 and his Senior in 1900. He was awarded a University of Adelaide Scholarship in February 1901 and that year commenced a science course as well as studies in mining and metallurgy. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in 1903 and a Diploma of Mining and Metallurgy, with honours, in 1905. He also completed an Associateship at the South Australian School of Mines.
In January 1904, he had travelled to Western Australia on the “Kyarra“ to gain practical experience by taking up a position at the Kalgurli Gold Mine for 12 months.
By 1906, he was working at the Golden Horseshoe Mine with the metallurgical staff and in 1909 became mine manager for the Just in Time Gold Mine at Morgans near Laverton. In 1907, a new crushing plant was installed at the mine but issues with water supply limited production. By December 1910, the mine was being advertised for sale by the Liquidator and in 1911 Reginald took up farming at Wirrega in South Australia.
Reginald enlisted in the AIF in July 1915 and served overseas with the 3rd Tunnelling Corps rising to the rank of Captain. He was also awarded the Military Cross. He married a Canadian whilst overseas.
In 1915, he surrendered his Bachelor of Science to be awarded a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Adelaide.
In 1919, Reginald returned to Australia and by 1920 was the Resident Engineer Barmera for the South Australian Irrigation Department. He was retrenched in 1927 and became Mine Manager of a series of tin mines in Asia. Ill health forced his return from Siam to South Australia in mid-1928.
Reginald was an Associate Member of the Institution of Engineers Australia, joining in 1922. He was a Member of the Institute of Mining Engineers (Australia), a Justice of the Peace and a Fellow of the South Australian School of Mines.
Reginald died on November 4, 1928, at Prospect, Adelaide, aged 44. He was survived by his wife.
References:
Adelaide Advertiser, 21.2.1901, p. 4.
Adelaide Register, 4.1.1904, p. 4.
Adelaide Advertiser, 5.12.1905, p. 4.
Mount Morgans Mercury, 29.5.1907, p. 3.
Laverton and Beria Mercury, 15.5.1909, p. 2.
Adelaide Advertiser, 7.10.1915, p. 8.
Adelaide Chronicle, 10.11.1928, p. 59.
Institution of Engineers, Transactions, Volume IX, 1928, Sydney.
