Thomas Stevenson was born on this day 14 April 1838. A resident of "Sandhurst Lodge" High Road

Sir Thomas Stevenson (1838–1908) , scientific analyst and toxicologist, was born on 14 April 1838 at Rainton, Yorkshire, second son and fourth of the six children of Peter Stevenson (d. 1845), a pioneer in scientific farming, and his wife, Hannah, daughter of Robert Williamson, a banker and coach maker of Ripon. Stevenson was educated privately and at Nesbit's school of chemistry and agriculture, where at an early age he showed an interest in quantitative chemical analysis.

Pre-eminent as a scientific toxicologist, Stevenson was best-known to the public as an expert witness in murder trials involving poisoning. The first case which brought him public recognition was that of Dr G. H. Lamson (the poison was aconitine) in 1882. Later prominent trials include Mrs Maybrick (arsenic) in 1889; Edward Bell, who poisoned his wife with strychnine (1899); Dr Thomas Neill or Cream (strychnine) in 1892; George Chapman, who murdered three women with antimony in 1903, and Arthur Devereux (morphine) in 1905.
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Stevenson died in a diabetic coma on 27 July 1908, at his home, Sandhurst Lodge, 382 Streatham High Road, Streatham, London. He was buried with his wife on 31 July at Norwood cemetery following a funeral service at St Leonard's parish church, Streatham. He was survived by his children, one of whom gained the London MD and became a medical missionary in India.

OTD 14/15 April 1912: The Titanic sinking

Mr Richard William Smith, a 57-year-old widowed tea broker (for Reinach-Nephews and Co) residing at 53 Stanthorpe Road, Streatham was killed in the disaster

He had embarked from Southampton on 10 April, occupying first class cabin A-19. His body, if recovered, was never identified

His estate, worth £1708, 6s, 5d, was administered to a widow named Susan Hepburn, the identity of whom is not clear.
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Image is believed to be Richard Smith and his friend Emily Nicholls on the deck of the Titanic

This very sad article appeared in the Norwood News On This Day Saturday 13 April 1912
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Percy Albert Norman (9yrs) & Leonard Mark Norman (7yrs) from 65 Leverson Streeet, killed in the Links estate in Tooting is a disused gravel pit

Sydney Herbert Allard died on This Day 12 April 1966. He was born in Streatham and the family lived at 254 Leigham Court Road

The Allard Motor Company was founded in 1946 by Sydney Herbert Allard, grandfather to the current proprietor but the story started much earlier..
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From the 18th century ancestral home of Warminster in Wiltshire, Sydney's father and other members of his family moved to South London circa 1900, Sydney was born in Streatham in 1910.

This appeared in the Image llustrated London News On This Day 11 April 1903
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Rev George Charles Bell born in Streatham. Fellow of Worcester College, Headmaster Christ's Hospital and Marlborough College

Image © Illustrated London News Group

On This Day 11 April 1937 the actress Jill Gascoine was born

She is best known for her role as Detective Inspector Maggie Forbes in the 1980s television series The Gentle Touch and its spin-off series C.A.T.S. Eyes. In the 1990s, she also became a novelist and has published three books.
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Her TV breakthrough came when she played Mrs Onedin in the BBC drama, the Onedin Line
Gascoine was born in Streatham and the family lived at a number of locations in Streatham.
She sadly died 28th April 2020 and was married to Alfred Molina

John Lewis Wolfe (1798–1881), architect, was born On This Day 10 April 1798 in Streatham The eldest son of Lewis Wolfe , comptroller of HM Stationery Office and member of the stock exchange, and Ann, née Porter.

Wolfe was articled in 1813 to the architect Joseph Gwilt and in 1818 he exhibited at the Royal Academy a design for a national museum. In Rome, in February 1820, Wolfe embarked on his friendship with Charles Barry.

After commencing architectural practice, he entered the competition for new buildings at King's College, Cambridge, with an unsuccessful Italian design. Soon, however, a less immediately congenial profession claimed him when he joined his brother as a stock- and sharebroker. Trading as Wolfe Brothers from 23 Change Alley, Cornhill, they built up a successful business, which continued until 1848. Wolfe was a member of the stock exchange until 1878.

On 6 October 1881 Wolfe died at the Great Western Hotel, Paddington; he was buried four days later at Brompton cemetery. He left much of his £140,000 estate to his godson, by then emerging as a successful engineer, who in later recognition changed his name to John Wolfe Barry.
(David G. Blissett)
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Images Baptism at St Leonard's May 12 1798 and Freedom of the City of London

2nd Lieutenant George Knox of 43 Palace Road, Streatham died On This Day 9th April 1916

George was born on September 11th 1881, the fourth child of an Irish couple, a distiller’s agent also named George Knox and his wife, Agnes. After finishing school, he spent some time travelling in South America and on his return went into business in the City of London.

Four months after the declaration of war, in December 1914, George took up a commission in the 8th Battalion of the Royal Lancaster Regiment, and spent the following year in England, undergoing training at Bournemouth, Winchester and Aldershot.

​ In January 1916 he was attached to the 6th Battalion, and sent to Mesopotamia, something which disappointed him, as he would rather have gone to the Western Front with the rest of the 8th Battalion. On April 9th that year he was killed in action whilst leading an assault on a Turkish position near Sana-i-Yat .Having received a serious leg wound he persevered, only to be killed shortly afterwards when hit in the head.
(Dulwich College)