Born in Leamington Spa on 13 October 1882, the eldest son of William de Normanville (1843-1928), a civil engineer, and his wife born Elizabeth Simonds.
1882 Captain Edgar Joseph de Normanville (Royal Engineers 1914-1922) is the Inventor of the Overdrive unit for cars lived at 6 Clarendon Crescent.

He was educated at Ampleforth College where he conceived the idea of a rotating disc to maintain visibility through a windscreen of a car, these are still being used today on most ships, and are still available.
https://www.navitech.co.uk/marine…/clear-view-screens/

Also being used in engineering now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIwWnWvikkQ
I remember you could get one for your bike crash hat at one time!

He was also an apprentice at the Crowden Motor Works in Chapel Street, Leamington and he also had an apprenticeship at the Duryea Motor Wagon Company in Coventry.
In 1902 Henry Sturmey had set up the Duryea Motor Wagon business to produce the car under licence from James Franklin Duryea (1869-1967) and his brother Charles Edgar Duryea were the inventors of the first gas-powered automobile in America.
Note that it was also the same Henry Sturmey of Sturmey-Archer epileptic gearbox fame.

In 1908 Captain Edgar Joseph de Normanville became a journalist with Motor Magazine.

In the 1930s his interest in epicyclic gearing led to its introduction in a Humber 4-speed gearbox.
After WW2 he has designed and developed the epicyclic concept for use as an overdrive facility.

In 1950 he and Axel Wickman formed Auto Transmissions Ltd of Canley Coventry, which de Normanville became technical director.
The overdrive was manufactured by Laycock Engineering.
The company continued to supply the A-type overdrives for many years.

Captain Edgar Joseph de Normanville died on 17 January 1964.