Eric Long, 3rd Viscount Long

Long was a member of a long-established Wiltshire family. He was the younger son of Walter Long, 1st Viscount Long, by Lady Dorothy Blanche, daughter of Richard Boyle, 9th Earl of Cork. He was the younger brother of Brigadier-General Walter Long, and the nephew of Lord Gisborough. He was educated at Harrow School. In 1922 Long was initiated into Freemasonry in the Chaloner Lodge No. 2644, meeting at Melksham. Later he also joined the Lodge of Assistance No. 2773, meeting in central London. He became a Justice of the Peace in 1923. ==Political career==

Long was elected to the House of Commons as Member of Parliament (MP) for Westbury at a by-election in 1927, following the death of the sitting Conservative MP Walter Shaw. He was re-elected at the 1929 general election, but stood down at the 1931 election. ==Military career==

Long served in World War I, when he was mentioned in dispatches. Between the wars he reached the rank of Major in the part-time Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry. based at Carlton Hall near Saxmundham, Suffolk. He was asked to resign in 1942. After the war, he became Honorary Colonel of 604 Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery (Royal Fusiliers). == Personal life ==

In 1944, his nephew Walter Long, 2nd Viscount Long was killed in action in the war. Walter had no male heirs, so Long succeeded to his nephew's titles, ==Awards==

Viscount Long held the following awards: • Knight Commander, Order of George I of Greece • Freedom of the City of Athens (1947) • Territorial Decoration == Further reading ==