Eric Treacy

Eric Treacy, MBE (2 June 1907 – 13 May 1978) was an English railway photographer and Anglican bishop.[1]

The Right Reverend Eric Treacy MBE
Bishop of Wakefield
At Christ Church Halifax in 1971, after a wedding
Church	Church of England
Diocese	Diocese of Wakefield
In office	1968 to 1976
Predecessor	John Ramsbotham
Successor	Colin James
Other posts	Bishop of Pontefract (1961–1968) Archdeacon of Halifax (1949–1961)
Orders
Ordination	1932 (deacon) c. 1933 (priest)
Consecration	1961
Personal details
Born	(1907-05-02)2 May 1907 London, England
Died	13 May 1978(1978-05-13) (aged 71) Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria, England
Nationality	English
Denomination	Anglicanism
Education	Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School
Alma mater	King's College London

Early life and education

Plaque to Bishop Treacy's life and work at Appleby railway station

Treacy's first published railway photographs in the ABC Locomotive Series (1946)

ex-LMS black five number 45428 has been named Eric Treacy in preservation

Born in London, Treacy was educated at Haberdashers' Aske's School and at King's College London, though he left without taking a degree.

Ordained ministry

In 1932 he was made a Deacon in the Church of England,[2] and also took up railway photography, being inspired by a visit to Liverpool Lime Street. His photographic work appeared in various magazines during the 1930s.

His photography was interrupted by being an army padre in the Royal Army Chaplains' Department during the Second World War. On 12 March 1940, he was commissioned as Chaplain to the Forces 4th Class (equivalent to captain).[3] On 10 May 1945, it was announced that Treacy had been Mentioned in Despatches "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in North West Europe".[4] On 24 January 1946, he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) .[5] In January 1946, he had been promoted to a Chaplain to the Forces 3rd Class (equivalent to major).[5]

In 1946 Treacy published his first book which contained images of L.M.S. locomotives.[6] On demobilisation he became Rector of Keighley and in 1949 was appointed Archdeacon of Halifax.[7]

Episcopal ministry

In 1961, Treacy was consecrated a bishop and appointed the Bishop of Pontefract, a suffragan bishop in the Diocese of Wakefield. In 1968, he was made Bishop of Wakefield, the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Wakefield. He held the post until he retired from full-time ministry in 1976.[8]

Death and commemoration

On 13 May 1978, Treacy died from a heart attack on Appleby Station on the Settle-Carlisle Railway waiting for a railtour hauled by BR 92220 Evening Star. A slate plaque is displayed on the main station building to his memory. He is buried at St Kentigern's Church, Crosthwaite, Keswick.

The Treacy Collection of 12,000 photographs forms part of the National Railway Museum's archive of over 1.4 million images.

Selected works

The following are photograph albums of Treacy's work:

• Canon Eric Treacy (1946),My Best Railway Photographs: No.1 L.M.S. , Ian Alan Ltd, London.
• Eric Treacy (1976), Roaming the Northern Rails ISBN 0-7110-0655-5
• Eric Treacy (1977), Roaming the East Coast Main Line Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-0812-4
• Eric Treacy (1969), Lure of Steam Ian Allan ISBN 0-7110-0098-0, 1980 reprint ISBN 0-7110-0900-7
• Eric Treacy (1981, reprint(?) Glory of Steam Ian Allan ISBN 0-7110-1171-0
• G. Freeman Allen, (1982), Great Railway Photographs by Eric Treacy Peerage Books, London
• Whitehouse, P. B.; Allen, G. Freeman (1983). Eric Treacy: Railway Photographer. David and Charles Newton Abbott UK and North Pomfret VT USA. ISBN 0-7153-8367-1.
• P.Whitehouse & J.Powell (1985), Treacy's Routes North
• P.Whitehouse & J.Powell (1990), Treacy's British Rail
• Eric Treacy (1991 reprint), Portrait of Steam ISBN 1-85648-010-0
• Eric Treacy (1994), The Best of Eric Treacy Atlantic Transport Publishers ISBN 1-85877-007-6
• David Jenkinson & Patrick Whitehouse (1988), Eric Treacy's L.M.S. Oxford Publishing Company ISBN 0-86093-381-4

References

1. "Railway credentials". Archived from the original on 3 April 2008. Retrieved 23 July 2006.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
2. Crockford's clerical directory,(London, Church House 1976) ISBN 0-19-200008-X
3. "No. 34809". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 March 1940. p. 1462.
4. "No. 37072". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 May 1945. pp. 2456–2464.
5. "No. 37442". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 January 1946. pp. 615–625.
6. Canon Eric Treacy My Best Photographs: No.1 L.M.S., Ian Alan Ltd, London.(1946)
7. "Treacy, Rt Rev. Eric". Who's Who. ukwhoswho.com. 1920–2008 (December 2012 online ed.). A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc. Retrieved 15 May 2013. (subscription or UK public library membership required)
8. Who's Who 1970 p3176 ISBN 0-7136-1140-5

Further reading

• Peart-Binns, John S. (1980) Eric Treacy, London, Ian Allan Ltd. ISBN 0 71101039 0.

External links

• Railway Photographers (steamindex.com)

Church of England titles
Preceded by George Clarkson	Bishop of Pontefract 1961–1968	Succeeded by Gordon Fallows
Preceded by John Ramsbotham	Bishop of Wakefield 1968–1977	Succeeded by Colin James