The Family of Owen Charles Wombwell and Kathleen Gladys Castel


Owen (my father) was the youngest child of George David Wombwell and Annette Franks. He was born on 27th January 1905 in Hammersmith. My mother, Kathleen Gladys was born on 13th November 1906 in Fulham. She was the younger of two children of Kate Wernham and Francis Castel.

Owen trained as a pharmacist at Chelsea School of Pharmacy and started work at a chemist's shop in North End Road, Fulham. It was there that he first met my mother who lived very close by at xxxx.

They bought a house in Highgate and he became manager of another pharmacy in the Holloway Road. Shortly after he managed a pharmacy at 73 Market Street, East Ham and they moved into the accommodation above. Their son George David (me) was born in the local maternity hospital; soon afterwards World War Two started and mother and son left for various addresses in Norfolk, Somerset and Wiltshire, away from the industry and docks which were an obvious target. Owen was in a reserved occupation, so had to stay in East Ham for the duration.

Partway through the war there were some changes. Firstly the shop in Market Street was bombed (although not seriously) and the owner G.A. Gower decided to sell up. He offered his three shops to my father who bought them and sold the other two (which I believe were in Canning Town and Plaistow). At the same time a shop on High Street South became available so he moved the pharmacy about a quarter of a mile into larger and better sited premises (still with living accommodation above).

Owen visited his wife and son as frequently as he could during the war, and towards the end of the war my sister Ann was born. I remember that we came back to London for this momentous event, but we returned to Wiltshire until the war's end.

Once the war was over they started to look for a house, and eventually bought a war- damage rebuild in East Ham. A few years later they moved to Doddinghurst and he later sold up his shop intending to retire. It didn't work out quite as he had planned; he found that being at home every day after so many years involvement with other people was not to his liking and he started to work part-time for other pharmacies.

While in East Ham he had been very active in developing links between associated professions - the dentists, doctors, opticians and pharmacists met regularly for discussion of common issues, professional updating, and social activities. His long and valued service to his profession led to him being made a Fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in xxxx.

Later moves were to Ingatestone and Elsenham (very close to Langley, where his father had been born) then, after my mother had died, to Warwick, where he spent his last nine years.

Throughout all the years they were in business my mother played an active part; she was also involved as a Brownie leader for some years. She was later a member of the Soroptimists for a number of years, both in Brentwood and in Ingatestone. She died in 1989 at xxxx Hospital in Harlow after a major heart attack. 
  Owen Charles Wombwell                (5)           (1905-1998) 
  m 1930 Kathleen Gladys Castel        (6)           (1906-1989)
      |
      |-George David Wombwell          (1)                PRIVATE
      | m 1967 Margaret Anne Bray      (2)                PRIVATE
      |     |
      |     |-Rebecca Jane Wombwell    (3)                     PRIVATE 
      |     |
      |     |-Edward Piers Wombwell    (4)                     PRIVATE
      |
      |
      |-Ann Wombwell                   (9)                PRIVATE
        m 1965 Douglas Walter Ogram    (45)               PRIVATE
            |
            |-Elizabeth Annette Ogram  (46)                    PRIVATE
            | m 1995
            |
            |-Giles Christopher Ogram  (47)                    PRIVATE
              m 1997

Return to the list of Wombwells

If you have found any errors, or if you can provide me with further information, I will be pleased to hear from you. Either way you can contact me on Email wombwell@eurobell.co.uk

This table last updated on 21st November 2001
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