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Naval Frogman "Buster" Lionel Crabb

28/1/2021

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On This Day 28th January 1909 Lionel Crabb was born
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Lionel Kenneth Philip Crabb (1909–1956), naval frogman, was born on 28 January 1909 at 4 Greyswood Street, Streatham, the son of Hugh Alexander Crabb, a commercial traveller for a firm of photographic merchants, and his wife, Beatrice Goodall.

Crabb was described by contemporaries as a most courageous diver able to endure great discomfort, but technically inept and a man of action rather than a thinker.

Crabb joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve before the war, and in 1940 he volunteered for bomb disposal duties. when the war ended, he was seconded to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in a risky venture to help observe the behaviour of trawlers at close hand. In 1947 he was invested with the George Medal and the OBE

Crabb retired in 1954 but reappeared at Portsmouth on 17 April 1956 with a relatively junior member of the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS)

On the 18th April 1956 Crabb persuaded a clearance diver to dress him for an important dive on the following day and take him by car to the dockyard where the Soviet cruiser Ordzhonikidze, bearing the Soviet leaders Bulganin and Khrushchov to Britain for a formal visit, would be lying alongside the premier berth.

A body, without head or extremities but with every indication of being Crabb, was discovered in Chichester harbour, Sussex, on 9 June 1957, over a year later.

(Source extracts: Richard Compton-Hall)
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Gabriel Piozzi born 27 January 1741, 280 years ago today

27/1/2021

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On This Day 27 January 1741 Gabriel Piozzi was born
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He was an Italian singer and composer born and baptised on 8 June 1740. His parents were Domenico and Giancoma. His baptismal sponsor was Signor Giacomo Guadagni. He was one of 14 children. They included brothers Giambattista and P. Luigi, and sisters Maria, Laura, Madalena Tamotti and Ippolita.
The family were known to have lived in Brescia, Quinzano and Venice. In October 1782 Hester - who was involved in a lawsuit with Lady Salusbury and straightened for money - left Streatham for her Brighton home. Johnson followed her. After a violent scene with Queeney, Hester returned to London and resolved to give up Piozzi.
In January 1783, Hester told Piozzi that they must part. Hester retired to Bath and on 8 May 1783 Piozzi left for Italy. Her daughters on seeing that Hester's health was affected consented to the recall of Piozzi.
Johnson was not in love with Hester Thrale, although he had an intelligible feeling of jealousy towards anyone who threatened to distract her allegiance. This of course came to a head shortly before her remarriage when they exchanged parting letters. The resulting estrangement saddened last months of his life.
In 1790 Hester recorded their seventh wedding anniversary party at Streatham Park. In August 1794 Hester became Godmother to Cecilia Siddons 1794-1868 - named after Cecilia Thrale - daughter of Sarah Siddons.
In 1795 they took up residence at Brynbella - a house they built in North Wales on Hester's Bach-y-Graig estate. They also renovated Bach-y-craig. Hester and Gabriel Piozzi seem to have spent most of their winters in Bath. On the occasion of their 19th wedding anniversary, Hester wrote verses of celebration.
(FindMyGrave)
Image ©National Portrait Gallery, used under the creative Commons License
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Streatham Wells Bell

27/1/2021

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BELL, STREATHAM WELLS, VALLEY ROAD, STREATHAM CENTRAL
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On This Day 27th January 1922 an article appeared by Mr. Baldwin in the Streatham News
The Bell was discovered when Hill House was demolished in 1922. It weighs nearly half a hundredweight, and was secreted under a wooden staircase on an outside wall near the Dutch garden of the house. Mr. Baldwin stated the "The bell probably came from the Old Well House when the water dried up , and was preserved as a relic"
(Lambeth Archives)
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January 26th, 2021

26/1/2021

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On This Day 26th January 1904 Dennis Dring was born
Dennis William Dring, RA (26 January 1904–29 September 1990), was an English portrait painter.
Dring is reported as being born in Streatham (although the 1911 Census indicates he was born in Brixton but the family lived at 33 Kingscourt Rd in Streatham) and the 1939 census showed he lived with his wife Grace at Windy Ridge in Winchester. He died in Winchester in 1990

He studied at the Slade School of Fine Art between 1922 and 1925, where he won several prizes and scholarships. He taught drawing and painting at the Southampton School of Art until 1942. In the late 1920s Dring was commissoned by the architects Edwin Lutyens and Albert Edward Richardson to paint a number of murals.

At the start of the Second World War Dring completed several portrait commissions for the War Artists' Advisory Committee, WAAC. In early 1942 he resigned from Southampton School of Art to work on a full-time contract for the Committee, specialising in Admiralty portraits.

He travelled extensively within Britain at this time, painting subjects in Portsmouth, Scotland and the Western Approaches. In the late summer of 1943 he was given a second full-time contract which included more general subjects.

His final war-time contract with WAAC saw Dring working on portraits for the Air Ministry throughout 1944 and 1945. Sixty-four of Drings war-time portraits, mostly pastels are in the collection of the Imperial War Museum, who also hold five oil paintings by him. There are a further forty of his wartime works at the National Maritime Museum, mostly pastel portraits.
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Self Portrait - Russell Coates Art Gallery & Museum  ©artist's estate / Bridgeman Images. Photo credit: Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum

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Black and white picture ©National Portrait Gallery

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Captain Heathcote ©Imperial War Museum
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Sir Ronald of Wates Construction

25/1/2021

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On This Day 25 January 1986 Sir Ronald Wallace Wates died
Sir Ronald Wates was part of the Wates construction firm, the family are also linked to E and A Wates in Mitcham Lane. He lived with his wife Phyllis nee Trace of Woodbourne Avenue in Ockley Road and then at "Chenies" Garrad's Road, Streatham
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Margery Sharp

25/1/2021

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On This Day 25 January Margery Sharp was born. An author of 25 books who attended Streatham Hill High
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Clara Margery Melita Sharp was born Salisbury, Wiltshire. She attended Chiswick House High School in Malta in 1912-1913, and Streatham Hill High School 1914-1923. In 1925 she went to Bedford College, earning a general arts degree and then a BA in French.

She studied art for one year at Westminster Art School. After school she became a full-time writer, writing short stories and working on a novel. 
In 1938 she married Major Geoffrey Castle, an aeronautical engineer. During World War II she served as an Army Education Lecturer, travelling and lecturing and continuing to write.

​She produced 26 novels for adults, 14 stories for children, 4 plays, 2 mysteries, and many short stories. 
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Her most famous work is The Rescuers series about a mouse named Miss Bianca, which was adapted in two animated feature films, The Rescuers and The Rescuers Down Under.
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Image ©National Portrait Gallery

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Michael's Pearl and Michael Seward's hopes at the Grand National

24/1/2021

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On This Day 24 January 1947 this appeared in the Daily Miror.

Michael Sewards "Michael's Pearl"preparing for the Grand National, running on Streatham Common and walking back to his stable through Steratham Streets

The Pathe clip is well worth watching - see the horse walking the streets of Streatham
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https://www.facebook.com/groups/streatham1high/permalink/3178281598894448
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This is what the papers said On This Day 24th January 1958. Cyril Cox - the campaigner who brought the 137 to Leigham Court Road, Streatham and Crystal Palace died

24/1/2021

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Cyril Cox - the campaigner who brought the 137 to Leigham Court Road, Streatham and Crystal Palace died. Past Chairman of Streatham Ratepayers and educated  at Cheltonia College in Streatham
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US Pop star Gene Vincent

23/1/2021

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On This Day 23 January 1963 American pop singer Gene Vincent ( Vincent Eugene Craddock) married Streatham girl Margaret Russell Griffith.
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It is reported Gene was a former resident in Leigham Court Road
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Streatham Train Crash 23 January 1915

23/1/2021

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On This Day 23 January 1915 3 trains collided between Streatham Common and Norbury stations.

​ The driver of the goods train was killed while bravely trying to stop the down train by placing a detonator on the line.

Illustrated London News 30th January 1915 Image © Illustrated London News Groupk here to edit.
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    Mark Bery, Secretary Streatham Society

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Next Meeting

"The Telford Park Estate, Then and Now" by Chris Sluman Feb.15th 2021 07:30pm
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Our Newsletter, issue 242 has been posted to members and issue 241, Summer 2020 is now available on this site

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