Geoffrey Langlands: Difference between revisions

'''Geoffrey Douglas Langlands''' [[Order of St. Michael and St. George|CMG]], [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]], [[Hilal-i-Imtiaz|HI]], [[Nishan-e-Pakistan|SPk]] (21 October 1917 – 2 January 2019) was a British educationalist who spent most of his life teaching in and leading [[education in Pakistan|schools in Pakistan]], instructing many of the country's elite. In World War II he served as a [[Major (United Kingdom)|Major in the British Army]], and afterwards in the [[British Indian Army]], where he worked to keep the peace during the [[Partition of India|partition of the British Indian Empire]] in 1947.<ref name=Walsh>{{cite news| title=He has been kidnapped and taken tea with princesses: a British major's life teaching in the Hindu Kush| first=Declan| last=Walsh| date=10 August 2009| url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/aug/10/geoffrey-langlands-pakistan-school| work=[[The Guardian]]| location=[[Manchester]]| access-date=29 December 2014}}</ref> He transferred to the [[Pakistani Army]] at the birth of the country, and returned to a career in education, first of army officers. Then, at the invitation of [[President of Pakistan|the President]], he joined the so-called "[[Eton College|Eton]] of Pakistan", [[Aitchison College]] in [[Lahore]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Drury |first1=Flora |title=Relic of the Raj who schooled a nation |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-46757125 |access-date=7 January 2019 |work=BBC News |date=6 January 2019}}</ref> After 25 years there, he left to lead a [[military high school]], [[Cadet College Razmak]].<ref name="Langlands turns 100">{{cite news |last1=Reporter |first1=A. |title=Langlands turns 100 |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1365420 |access-date=6 January 2019 |work=DAWN.COM |date=22 October 2017 |language=en}}</ref> He ended his career by taking on a new school in [[Chitral]] and raising it to internationally high standards; he continued to lead it into his 90s, when it was renamed in his honour [[Langlands School and College]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Rashid |first=Salman  |title=Chitral and back in a jiffy |url=http://tns.thenews.com.pk/chitral-and-back-in-a-jiffy/ |accessdate=7 January 2019 |work=TNS - The News on Sunday |date=9 August 2015|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190107233030/http://tns.thenews.com.pk/chitral-and-back-in-a-jiffy/|archivedate=7 January 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=NYT>{{cite news| title=Briton There at Pakistan's Birth Stays at 94, a Living Textbook| first=Declan| last=Walsh| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/09/world/asia/formidable-pakistan-school-losing-longtime-teacher.html?_r=0| work=[[The New York Times]]| date=8 June 2012| access-date=29 December 2014|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name=Hasan>{{cite news|title=Chitral's patron saint |url=http://www.thenews.com.pk/todays-news-9-216067-chitrals-patron-saint |access-date=29 December 2014 |first=Masood |last=Hasan |work=[[The News International]] |date=24 November 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213005636/http://www.thenews.com.pk/todays-news-9-216067-chitrals-patron-saint |archive-date=13 December 2014  }}</ref><ref name=Observer>{{cite news|title=TWS to honour Langtands services |url=http://pakobserver.net/201401/09/detailnews.asp?id=229856 |access-date=29 December 2014 |work=[[Pakistan Observer]] |date=9 January 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141209130719/http://pakobserver.net/201401/09/detailnews.asp?id=229856 |archive-date=9 December 2014  }}</ref><ref name=BBC>{{cite web| title=Meet the 92 year-old teacher finally calling it a day| date=6 May 2010| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8664333.stm| work=[[BBC News]]| access-date=29 December 2014}}</ref>

She died of cancer ten years later, as soon thereafter did the children's grandfather,<ref name="Aaj"/> leaving Langlands and his siblings without any living relatives. He was given a free place at [[King’s College, Taunton]] (a [[Private schools in the United Kingdom|private]] - i.e.fee-paying - school) by its headmaster, a family friend.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Tweedie |first1=Neil |title=Major Geoffrey Langlands, 94, leaves his post in Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province after 60 years |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/9326681/Major-Geoffrey-Langlands-94-leaves-his-post-in-Pakistans-North-West-Frontier-Province-after-60-years.html |access-date=7 January 2019 |date=13 June 2012}}</ref> His older brother received a scholarship to an orphan school in Bristol, and a family friend helped secure positions for the other children.<ref name=Shaukat>{{cite news| title=Major Langlands: The blue-eyed boy| first=Aroosa| last=Shaukat| url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/646750/major-langlands-the-blue-eyed-boy/| access-date=29 December 2014| work=[[The Express Tribune]]| location=Pakistan| date=22 December 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Third World Solidarity to honour Major Langlands, hold press conference |url=http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/punjab/09-Jan-2014/third-world-solidarity-to-honour-major-langlands-hold-press-conference |first=Saira |last=Agha |agency=[[Agence France-Presse]] |access-date=29 December 2014 |work=[[Daily Times (Pakistan)|Daily Times]] |date=9 January 2014 |location=Pakistan |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141209124334/http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/punjab/09-Jan-2014/third-world-solidarity-to-honour-major-langlands-hold-press-conference |archive-date=9 December 2014  }}</ref><ref name=Raha>{{cite news| title=Bound by duty| first=Sonali| last=Raha| url=http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/general/bound-by-duty-1.348373| access-date=29 December 2014| work=[[Gulf News]]| location=[[Dubai]]| date=25 February 2003}}</ref>