Vice Admiral Sir Cecil Ponsonby Talbot
KCB KBE DSO & Bar (31 August 1884 – 17 March 1970) was a senior
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
officer.
Naval career
Born on 31 August 1884 and educated at
Bedford School, Talbot served in the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
during the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
becoming commanding officer of the
submarine
A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...
HMS ''J5'' in May 1916 and of the former
passenger ship HMS ''Ambrose'' in September 1918.
He was in command of
HMS ''Ambrose'' at the time of her journey to Hong Kong in 1920. He was appointed
Aide-de-camp to
King George V
George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936.
Born during the reign of his grandmother Que ...
and became commanding officer of the
cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles.
The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several hu ...
HMS ''Inconstant'' in July 1921, of the
aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...
HMS ''Hermes'' in July 1925 and of the
battlecruiser HMS ''Renown'' in April 1929. He went on to be Director of Naval Equipment at the
Admiralty
Admiralty most often refers to:
*Admiralty, Hong Kong
*Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964
*The rank of admiral
*Admiralty law
Admiralty can also refer to:
Buildings
* Admiralty, Traf ...
in 1932 and
Rear Admiral, Submarines in 1934.
Talbot became
Director of Dockyards at the Admiralty in 1937 and continued in that role throughout
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
until he retired in 1946. He was invested Knight Commander of the
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...
(KBE) in the
1939 Birthday Honours and Knight Commander of the
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...
(KCB) in the
1947 Birthday Honours.
There is a memorial window given by him and his wife in the Submariners' chapel,
Fort Blockhouse in memory of two of his sons who died in submarines in world war 2 .
[url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/doverpast/6811089888/in/photostream/]
He died in
Penberth
Penberth ( kw, Benbryhi) is a valley, coastal village and cove on the Penwith peninsula in Cornwall, England. It is approximately southwest of Penzance. Most of the village is within the parish of St Buryan and the boundary with St Levan foll ...
,
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
on 17 March 1970.
An account of his life can be seen on the www.maritimequest.com website
Family
In 1912 Talbot married Bridget Bradshaw; they had three sons and one daughter.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Talbot, Cecil Ponsonby
1884 births
1970 deaths
People educated at Bedford School
Royal Navy vice admirals
Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath
Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Companions of the Distinguished Service Order