BIOGRAPHY

Lilian Wignall was born in Leicester, Leicestershire, England, on 1 October 1907. In 1940, she married Harry Wingnall, and the couple had two sons: Keith and Brian. She was widowed in 1979.

Throughout her life, she traveled extensively with her husband, enjoying adventures such as sailing, cruising on a Mississippi steamboat, and camel riding in Egypt. Her love of flying, especially Concorde, was a defining passion, and for her 90th birthday, she was given a special flight. A devout Christian, she became a loyal member of the local Baptist Church in 1979. She supported the Genciu Fund, which helps Romanian orphans, and often requested donations to this cause instead of birthday presents.

Wignall was made a Freeman of the City of Leicester on 30 January 2014, when she was 106. Despite her age, she remained active and frequently traveled. In her centenarian years, she visited New Zealand with her older sister, Nellie, to see relatives. She also traveled to Crete, Greece, with her son Brian and his wife, Joan. Even in her centenarian years, she remained deeply patriotic, with a profound admiration for the Royal Family, Winston Churchill, and the remarkable achievements and sacrifices of World War II.

At the age of 111, she had five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Wignall passed away in Braunstone, Leicestershire, England, on 12 October 2018, at the age of 111 years, 11 days.

RECOGNITION

Following the passing of 109-year-old George Samuel Higgs (1 January 1907 – 27 February 2016) Leicester, she became the oldest known living person in Leicestershire. Upon her own passing, she was succeeded by Edith Mary Varley (6 December 1911 – 13 November 2019) of Oadby.

Her age was verified by the European Supercentenarian Organisation (ESO) on 26 March 2020.

ATTRIBUTION

* Oldest in Britain

* “Mrs. Lilian Wignall – a Freeman of the City of Leicester, old and new.” – Gildhall News, May 2014

* “Braunstone woman becomes ninth-oldest person in the UK” – Leicester Mercury, 30 October 2017

* “This Leicestershire woman just became the 3rd oldest person in the UK” – Leicester Mercury, 2 October 2018

GALLERY