Longley, Frank Hollis., b 1907

Frank Hollis Longley, Methodist Missionary Society missionary in western and northern Nigeria, was born in Arlesey, Bedfordshire. The family moved to Royston where his father was a butcher and, after leaving school in 1919, Longley worked in the family shop. From an early age he had wanted to be a missionary and he secured a place to train for the ministry at Richmond College and later went to Headingly, Leeds.

Longley first went to Nigeria in 1931 for two short spells then, in 1935, married Jessie Nellie Bannister, a trained teacher from Royston. A few weeks after their wedding the Longleys left for Nigeria where they were based in Oyo, western Nigeria. Apart from 2 years in Ibadan they spent the next 22 years at Oyo. Conditions were difficult and they were very much pioneers, but the Longleys worked hard to gain the respect of and work with the people. Frank Longley became proficient in Yoruba and, as well as evangelising, did his best to help the local communities. Jessie Longley also took an active part in the work, helping out in the hostels, schools and dispensaries that they opened in the area. The Longleys had no children of their own but cared for and supported several local children with whom they kept in touch and whose careers they followed even after they had left Nigeria.

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