Oona Lang (and her twin Denise Fleur) 1921-2001

Oona Lang 1921-2001

Oona Lang was my mum and the following are just "facts" - I will come on to her relationships with both her family and her children later on (it is quite hard to write). 

 She was born in Karachi, India (as it was then) on the 31^st July 1921. She also had a twin sister called Denise Fleur who died when young (apparently she was three and a half) in Henjam – I have a photograph of the desert where she was apparently buried. I can’t imagine how terrible it must have been for Emily and Percy to lose one of their children – we think she may have died from a disease called leishmaniasis (to find out)  - this also caused Oona to have part of her nose eaten away which meant that she had to have various skin grafts throughout her early life.

I can always remember how self-conscious she was about it and always had to make sure she was fully made up before seeing anyone.

Both she and her twin were baptised on the 23^rd August 1921 (have certificates) – Parochial Register of St Patrick’s Cathedral, Karachi 1915/1927 No. 1 130 – Denise’s godparents were James Moore of Kensington and Cissie Burns from Richmond (who were they). Oona’s were John Burns (probably Cissie’s husband) and Maureen O’Farrell (who was she?).

** Baptismal certificate – Bombay Vol 126 Vol 45 7614 No. 6 1921 No. 129

She was sent to Boarding School at the really young age of 3 – apparently according to a letter I have seen, white children were threatened with kidnapping so I suppose Percy and Emily wanted to make sure they were safe – (especially in the Khyber Pass which is one area they worked in). She went to one in North London I think which from the tales she told us was a very strict one – with her being regularly beaten with a hair brush (so much for nuns being kind people)!!! - St Mary's Priory, London, N15

She finally went to St Philomena’s on the 19^th September 1932 and left on the 22^nd July 1938 for a commercial career – she also at some point went to study music at a school in Manchester (Mattay School of Music which is now the Northern School of Music) - music was always her first love and we nearly always had a piano in the house and even when she could no longer play herself due to her Arthritis, she continued to have one so that we could play.

She enlisted on the 16^th July 1941 when she was nearly 20 in Croydon (W/168503) – she was described as being 5’ 3 ¾” with green eyes and fair hair. She became a cine operator and left the army on the 23^rd August 1945.

During the war, she married her 1^st husband, Leslie Dunston Remmett Peay (I think because she wanted to escape life at Langholme) – they married on the 17^th July 1940 (she was only 19) at the Holy Cross Church, North Street, Carshalton, Surrey – with the witnesses Charles Joseph Oulton and Michael P O’Reilly.  The priest was Father Anthony Kavanagh.

She wanted to leave Leslie and had to undergo a series of horrendous examinations to prove it hadn’t been consummated 19.12.1946 and it was finally annulled on the 24^th February 1947 – According to the records by court for his refusal to consummate their marriage –  she was told by him that he wanted to be a priest and she should be a nun (also told other stories to Stephanie).***

She married my father, Boyd Percy Fuller on the 20^th September 1952 at Morden Registry Office as they couldn’t marry in church as both were divorced/annulled – it was my mum’s biggest regret I think that she could never go to church or receive Communion as she was divorced and could only go once my dad had died.

It states that he was the Divorced Husband of Marjorie Beryl Fuller (nee Hanbury) and was an Engineering salesman of equipment and installations. She was a spinster and a shorthand typist. The witnesses were Maud E Hamman (?) and Marie N P Berentemfal (her 1^st husband who was part of the Phillips Electronics family.

It says that his father was Hubert Charles Fuller (deceased) and that he was a Company Director – it is still unbelievable that even in the 1950’s (and still to this day) that the mother wasn’t included and it really upsets me to think that I am not on Stephanie and Dave’s marriage certificate even though I brought her up single handed (with no help at all from her father).

They lived at 64 Lillie Road, Fulham, SW6, then 4 Albert Palace Mansions, Lurline Gardens, SW11 in 1960.

·        Oona lived at 56 Stafford Road, Sidcup, Kent (why and who with) 5.10.49 (was she with Leslie)

·        136 Earlshall Road, SE9 10.12.49

·        37 Alma Road, Carshalton, Surrey – 12 April 1950

WWhat it looks like in 2020 

https://www.google.com/maps/place/37+Alma+Rd,+Carshalton+SM5+2PQ/@51.364533,-0.1718046,3a,78.2y,301.07h,96.35t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s_RgyQNnecOBodAxKBW1zrw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!4m5!3m4!1s0x487607e904aa60d9:0x30826536447e5d31!8m2!3d51.3645978!4d-0.1720216

·        24 Coulsdon Road, Coulsdon – 4^th September 1951

·        8 Wharfedale St, SW10 – 11.8.1951 (https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/8+Wharfedale+St,+Kensington,+London+SW10+9AL/@51.4883482,-0.1916184,3a,41.8y,346.48h,72.79t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sOMmKJTOUjgzqEDC2F2Kw2g!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!4m5!3m4!1s0x48760f896331de79:0x9100fe1ebaadd39c!8m2!3d51.4883577!4d-0.1916017 )

·        Moved with BF on 1^st November 1957(with the children) from 11a to Caterham and then to 50 Dorset Road, SW19 on the 28^th July 1960.

Her death certificate states she died on the 13^th December 2001 of Old age, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Asthma – Grant was the informant and the Dr was Dr Kolendo.

***Leslie Dunston Remmet Peay – born 20^th December 1913 (so was about 8 years older than mum) – he first of all married my mum at the Holy Cross Church, North Street, Carshalton . His father was Charles Howard Peay who was a chartered surveyor (born 1885). Leslie then married Sheila Gladys Hull in 1956. It says that she was 26 which made her nearly half his age!

Records show that he was a College Secretary living at 5 Earls Court Mansions, London, SW2. Sheila was a clerk at the Bank of England and lived at 3 Richmond House, Earls Court Road, London, SW5. Her father was Albert Sydney Hull (Dermatologist) – Leslie’s mother was Poppy Mabel Peay who lived at Oakengates, Pine Walk, Carshalton Beeches in 1940.