Edward Fitzroy Talbot-Ponsonby

Edward Talbot-Ponsonby inherited Langrish House as a very young man in 1937. Edward was a brilliant engineer even as a schoolboy. When he inherited the house, he spent his time in the stables with a lathe. He soon became known throughout the area for being 'good with his hands' and people would come to him with problems and projects. In 1939, the country was re-arming and Edward got the contract to make cockpits for spitfires. He also made bombs. He had been desperate to join the Army at the outbreak of WW2, but had been turned down due to what his factory was producing and his knowledge of the manufacturing. He spent the war years working incredibly hard in the stables, which by this time had become a busy factory.

He was approached by a ‘friend from university’ about doing something special for the Country. Edward had apparently jumped at the chance and was commissioned early on and tasked to recruit and set up Auxiliary units in his area.

In 1939 he is an ARP Warden. Nominal roll is wrongly recording his ID as EEFO 144/5.

His son Nigel recalled his father having a ‘double edged stiletto type dagger’, and also a very powerful rifle that he had apparently been issued with; the rifle having a telescopic sight and silencer. Nigel said that he shot a rabbit with it once, and the rabbit was ‘vaporised’.

After the war he was given a token of thanks from all of Group 7.

An article on Lieutenant Talbot-Ponsonby and CART.