Arthur Wormall, 1900-1964

Abstract

Arthur Wormall was born on 17 January 1900, in Leeds. He was the second of four children (two sons and two daughters) of James William Wormall, a printer and lithographer by trade, and his wife, Anne Wormall [neePhillis). At eleven years Arthur Wormall won a Junior City Scholarship to the Boys’ Modern School, Leeds, and at seventeen was awarded a Senior City Scholarship to Leeds University where he read for the Honours B.Sc. degree in chemistry under Professor J. B. Cohen, F.R.S. One of Wormall’s closest friends during these early years was H. R. Whitehead, who graduated at the same time as Wormall and married Wormall’s youngest sister, Ellen. From the time he entered the University in October 1917, Wormall served in the O.T.C. and he joined the Royal Air Force in June 1918, at the end of his first year. The 1914-1918 war came to an end suddenly in November, and so, after a short period of service, he was demobilized and was able to resume his studies. He graduated in 1921 and immediately started research and a year later was appointed Demonstrator in Biochemistry in the Department of Physiology and Biochemistry. In 1925 Wormall married Eva Jackson. In these early days at the University Wormall lived on the outskirts of Leeds, did not travel to any extent, and was much interested in his own county, Yorkshire. He played a good deal of cricket, golf and tennis, and several times went with the University team to play cricket matches against teams in Holland and Belgium.