Lady Edmond Talbot (1859–1938)

With thanks to Chris Warren for contacting me and

sending me copies of his two WW1-related books 

Born Lady Mary Bertie, daughter of the Earl of Abingdon, she was married on 5th August 1879 to Edmund Talbot (1855 – 1947), whose name at birth was Lord Edmund Bernard FitzAlan-Howard By Royal Licence, he assumed the name Talbot in 1876 to enable him to inherit the estates of Bertram, Earl of Shrewsbury. 

Lord and Lady Talbot had two children and lived in Cumberland Lodge in Windsor Great Park, London, UK.   They were Catholic. Lord Talbot was elected Member of Parliament for Chichester in 1894, a seat he held until 1921. In April 1921 Lord Edmund Talbot was appointed by the British government as Lord Lieutenant, or Viceroy, of Ireland. Much was made of the fact that Talbot was Catholic – the first to hold the office since the 17th century.

Retired school teacher Chris Warren has published two excellent WW1-related books:

- his Uncle Jack’s letters sent home from the Western Front - “Somewhere in France: Letters written from the Front 1914 – 1918 by Jack Turner, MC, Croix de Guerre”.

And

-  “In Flanders Now: The War Poems of Father Albert Purdie 1915 - 1918”

John Turner MC, Croix de Guerre (1882 – 1918) – British schoolteacher and artist (known as Jack Turner).    http://lesserknownartists.blogspot.com/2023/08/john-turner-mc-croix-de-guerre-1882.html

In a letter home written in July 1915 by Chris’s Uncle Jack when he was serving on the Western Front, he wrote about meeting the Catholic Chaplain Father Albert Purdie and reading the poem Father Purdie had written about Ploegsteert Wood. 

For the poem by Father Purdie, please see

http://forgottenpoetsofww1.blogspot.com/2023/08/albert-bertrand-purdie-1888-1976.html

In an extract from one of Jack’s letters published in the book, he mentions being given a copy of a book – a special gift to Catholic soldiers during the First World War from Lady Edmond Talbot.

“He has also given me a jolly little “Garden of the Soul” (Lady Edmond Talbot’s gift to the Catholic soldiers) which is small but has all the offices in.”

Chris Warren’s wonderful books can be purchased by following these links:

https://www.blurb.co.uk/b/11285382-in-flanders-now

 https://www.blurb.co.uk/b/9304624-somewhere-in-france

Sources:

“Somewhere in France: Letters written from the Front 1914 – 1918 by Jack Turner, MC, Croix de Guerre”.

https://www.hcbooksonline.com/product/garden-of-the-soul-catholic-repository-1914/