Basil Thomson and Thelma de Lava
Toronto Daily Star, January 14 1926
Basil Thomson (1861-1939) led an interesting life:
- He attended New College, Oxford, at the same time as Montague John Druitt, a suspect in the Jack The Ripper cases.
- After dropping out of college due to depression, he was a farmer in Iowa in 1881 and 1882.
- He served the British empire in Tonga and Fiji, learning the language of both places.
- He was a successful novelist.
- He served as a prison warden for twelve years, starting in the 1890s.
- By 1913, he was the head of the Criminal Investigation Department at Scotland Yard.
- During the First World War, he interrogated Mata Hari and Roger Casement, among others.
- He was knighted in 1919.
And, unfortunately for him, in December 1925, he was found in a section of Hyde Park known as Lovers' Walk in a compromising position with Thelma de Lava, a young woman who gave her occupation as "actress" but had a history of prostitution. His claim that he was researching a book on London vice was not believed.
The Spartacus Educational website has a long article about Basil Thomson, including his indiscretion with Ms. de Lava. I could find no information about her that was not related to this incident.
Created October 10, 2025.