Engström was born in Lönneberga, Kalmar County (Småland) but spent most of his childhood in Hult (near Eksjö), where his father was the railroad stationmaster.
They buried the animal, but later after discussing it with the Stationmaster at Cumwhinton, dug it up again and bought it back to the station where a member of the Hexham Wolf Committee identified it as a full-grown grey male wolf.
He became stationmaster at the railway station of Angers, and later of L'Aigle.
The village of Griffithstown, now a substantial part of Pontypool, was named after Henry Griffiths, the first stationmaster at Pontypool Road Station.