Ethel Ceciia (Ettie) Lang

Ethel Cecilia (Ettie) Lang

Ethel was born on the 19^th July 1891 in India and was the daughter of James Matthew and Mary Ellen Lang. She married twice – 1^st of all to Eric Vypan Whish and then Henry Thomas Hume-Spry. She died on the 13^th September 1968 in Port Sheptstone, South Africa.

She was Christened on the 2^nd August 1891, Karachi, Maharashra, India – ref. C730569/1891 2523867 v66

She didn’t have any children with either of her husbands but from the photos we have of her she definitely had lots of dogs! 

Eric Whish died during the war – Apr-Jun 1943 64 Blandford 5a 221  - and then she lived at PO Anerley, South Coast, Natal, South Africa.

Query – from St Philomenas I think – 8^th May 1908 – started 17^th September 1923. Guarian  was Major Anderson G90 India Medical Services – is this the same person – could be related to Dorothy.

Captain Eric Whish – death certificate says he died on the 7^th May 1943 at the Mount, Wimborne Road, Ferndown, Dorset – 64 years of age ( so was born in 1879 and was a retired Captain of the Royal Australian? Navy – died of coronary thrombrosis. Informant was A C Whish (brother of Farnham Common). Date of 13^th May 1943. Corrected by Registrar on the 9^th October 1943 col. 4 age)

Eric Vypan Whish – born 31^st August 1978, 137 West Malton Street, St Giles, Oxford.

Father was Albert Edward ‘whish and mother Mary Whish (nee Vipan) – Occupation Cleric (Holy orders)  and registered 26^th September 1878.

Ettie’s 2^nd husband was called Henry Thomas Hume-Spry who was born in Regina, Saskatchewan on the 16^th February 1893.

I had an email from a Frank Blewitt (from FIBIS) who says that St Johns was a red brick building near Clive Road and Strachey Road, Allahabad.

I also got an email from Peter Hume-Spry (a relation) who says that the Rev. Arthur Browne Spry was a chaplin at Allahabad at the time of the Indian Mutiny. His wife died at sea in the Bay of Bengal on the ship Alfred (something else to check up on). En route to England in 1859. He had a memorial plaque erected in her memory in St John’s Church.

Also had an email from him saying that the Venerable John Spry married Jane Hume on 6^th January 1727 thus linking both names together. The first known use of the hyphenated surname of Hume-Spry was in 1875. George Frederick Hume Spry advised the War Office that he wisdhed to be known as Hume-Spry. Around 1900 his grandfather, his brother William and a cousin were persuaded to have their name changed by  deed poll from Spry to Hume-Spry. This lead to an amusing situation where one of William’s daughters who had been given the name Hume as a Christian name then became Violet Olive Hume Hume-Spry.

There are still some Sprys around who have Hume as their last name.

Peter and his two sons were the only living Hume-Sprys around – need to check that up.

Notes from the Last Will and Testament of Henry Thomas Hume Spry  (Ethel’s husband) – dated 26^th July 1955. Nominated her as main beneficiary (whole estate) and for her to be executrix and guardian of his daughter by his first marriage (Ethel Rosemary Spry) – if Ettie predeceased him then it would go to Ethel Rosemary (if of age but died before him then the money would go to his brother Arthur James Spry;. If Ettie died before him then the estate would go to the Standard Bank for the purpose of setting up a trust for her.

There is a further potted history of the Spry’s in the certificates folder which goes far back.

See also:-  

Brothers - Percival (Percy) Lang  Walter Lang  James (Jim) Lang and Thomas (Tom) Lang jnr 

Sisters - Norah Lang (Dodo) Ann Lang (Angel) Ethel Lang (Ettie)  Marie Lang (Sr. Anne Josephine)