Virginia Louise Helena Whitley

Virginia Louise Helena Whitley is the youngest child and daughter of Sir Norman Henry Pownall Whitley and Florence May Erskine-Whitley.

Early Life & Education

Virginia was born on 19 October 1926 in the crown colony of Singapore to Sir Norman Whitley and his wife Florence. Virginia's father was stationed in Singapore for a duration during his military career in the British Army. In 1930, the Whitley family returned to England and settled in the village of Windsor. Windsor is the home of Windsor Castle and is located in the county of Berkshire, sometimes referred to as Royal Berkshire. When Virginia was old enough she was sent to be educated at St Margaret's School For Girls, as her sister Margaret had. Virginia finished her formal education here at the age of 16 in 1942.

Life During The War

After Virginia completed her education, she became a volunteer nurse in London, mainly staying in the City of Westminster and surrounding boroughs. Before the end of the war in 1945, Virginia met a lieutenant in the United States Navy. William Marshall Langley was a crewman aboard an Iowa-Class Battleship in the Atlantic Ocean for the duration of the war. The two had met while Will was on shoreleave. After a brief courtship, Virginia accepted Will's proposal for marriage.

Marriage & Family

On 1 January 1942 Virginia and Will were married at St Martin-in-the-Fields. While Will remained on active duty for the remainder of the war, Virginia continued volunteering as a nurse until the birth of her first daughter in August of 1942. Virginia and Will went on to have three other children. Their children are as follows:

1. Judith Jane Langley, 9 August 1942
2. William Carrol Langley, 2 June 1943
3. Shirley Katherine Langley, 14 July 1947
4. Norma Jean Langley, 28 December 1949

For the remainder of the war, Virginia continued living with her parents in Windsor until the end of the war. At that time, Will left the U.S. Navy and moved his family to the small town of Phillips, Texas; which is located near Borger, Texas. Will began working for the Phillips Petroleum Company where he remained until he retired in the mid-80's. After retirement, Virginia and Will moved to Amarillo, Texas where they still reside. Virginia and Will travelled to England each year, when they could, to visit family and friends.

Personal Information

William Marshall Langley passed away in April of 2004 due to complications with cancer. Virginia still resides in Amarillo near her daughter, Norma. Virginia has 10 grandchildren, 27 great-grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren.

References

1. Wikipedia page on Sir Norman Henry Pownall Whitley
2. Interview with her daughter, Judith, which took place on May 9th and 10th 2005.
3. http://www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org