Cecil H. Lang

Cecil Herbert Lang (1891-1974) was a 1916 graduate of Austin Seminary, a US Army Chaplain in World War I and World War II, and a Presbyterian minister in the south. During the world wars Lang served in Europe, domestically in camps in San Antonio and on the east coast, and on ships which brought troops and supplies to and from Europe. From 1917-1918 Lang served as a Religious Work Director for the National War Work Council of the YMCA and went on to serve with various regiments from 1917-1919.

During and after World War II, he served with the XIII Corps in 1942 until 1947, when he asked to be discharged in order to serve as the Executive Secretary of the Dallas Presbytery, an office he held until 1958. In 1945 Lang, a colonel, was awarded a Bronze Metal Star for meritorious service in Europe. Lang received a Doctor of Divinity from Austin College in 1937. Lang married twice and had a son and a daughter from his first marriage. His father and son served also as pastors. Lang retired from the ministry in 1966 after serving in churches in Tennessee, Virginia, Texas, and South Carolina. He died on July 9, 1974.

The first of many letters Rev. Lang wrote home to his family during his service, this one during his work with the Y.M.C.A. Lang discusses his work organizing Bible classes in the barracks and helping soldiers to write and read letters from home. He also describes his lodgings and mentions that he is starting to learn French, in preparation for his deployment overseas. From the Cecil H. Lang papers.

This pamphlet features a map of Camp Travis in San Antonio showing the locations of Y.M.C.A. offices. Lang served as a Religious Work Director for the National War Work Council of the Y.M.C.A. From the Cecil H. Lang papers.

Printed Christmas postcard from Cecil H. Lang, December 1917. From the Cecil H. Lang papers.

Lang’s certification card from the Training School for Chaplains and Approved Chaplain Candidates at Camp Zachary Taylor, August 1, 1918. From the Cecil H. Lang papers.

Rev. Lang wrote to the paper in Fort Stockton from Camp Merritt in New Jersey giving an update on his deployment, which was cancelled due to the Armistice. Lang would continue to serve as chaplain to soldiers (including injured soldiers) coming home. From the Cecil H. Lang papers.

Rev. Lang was an amateur photographer who kept a scrapbook of his service during World War I, both with the Y.M.C.A. and as an army chaplain at camps in the United States and overseas. Here he photographed entertainment for the troops at Camp Travis in San Antonio. From the Cecil H. Lang papers.

Rev. Lang traveled through New Orleans on his way to Camp Taylor in Kentucky and took photographs of people and sights in the French Quarter. In the center of the page is a photograph of Lang, “The Rookie.” From the Cecil H. Lang papers.

Soldiers look out from the deck of the U.S.S. Harrisburg as they return from service overseas. Lang poses on deck in his uniform. From the Cecil H. Lang papers.

The final page in Rev. Lang’s scrapbook for World War One. Lang poses on the deck of a ship at the end of the war. From the Cecil H. Lang papers