Alfred Talbot Smith was at Punch cartoonist who, in at the end of the Second World War made number of etchings of the Chipstead countryside.

Alfred Talbot Smith lived in Chipstead for most of his life. He was a talented artist and his cartoons frequently appeared in Punch and The Humourist; he also illustrated many children’s books. In 1945 he produced a very attractive set of etchings of Chipstead and the surrounding countryside. The plates of these are still in existence as are copies of the post cards they were used to make.

Born in Canton in 1877, Alfred was brought up in Croydon where he attended Whitgift School. After then studying at Croydon School of Art he established himself as a professional artist.  He was to be equally successful as both a comic and a conventional artist, this is an example of one of his cartoons published in Punch.

In World War I, Talbot Smith served in the 4^th Battalion of the West Surrey Regiment and attained the rank of Major. With the approach of World War II, he was appointed District Air Raids Precautions Controller of Banstead Urban District Council.  He was a member of Chipstead Platoon of the Local Defence Volunteers (the Home Guard), and the platoon’s high standing was, no doubt, in some measure due to his expertise.

In 1904, Alfred married Marion and they soon moved to Flint Cottage in Chipstead, where they were to remain for almost fifty years.  In that time, they brought up four children, and they both made significant contributions to the life of the village. Sadly, they lost one of their sons in the Singapore air disaster of 1935. In later years, Alfred was President of both the cricket club and the rifle club and engaged on the village’s behalf with the Footpaths and Commons Preservation Society. In 1945, he produced an attractive set of pen and ink postcards of the village and its surroundings. After Marion died in 1952, Major Talbot Smith moved away from Chipstead becoming Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Surrey in November 1955.  He remarried in 1970, but died the following year.