Eric Treacy, (2 May 1907 – 13 May 1978) was an English railway photographer and

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

bishop.

Early life and education

Born in London, Treacy was educated at Haberdashers' Aske's School and at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

, though he left without taking a degree.

Ordained ministry

In 1932 he was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

and

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

a year later, serving as curate at Liverpool parish church from 1932 to 1934. He married Mary Leyland 'May' Treacy (née Shone) (1902–1985), a voluntary social worker, in 1932. He took up railway photography, being inspired by visiting

Liverpool Lime Street Liverpool Lime Street is a railway station complex located on Lime Street, Liverpool, Lime Street in Liverpool city centre. Although publicly a single, unified station, it is operationally divided into two official railway stations: Liv ...

and getting to know his parishioners who worked on the railway. His photographic work appeared in various magazines during the 1930s. His photography was interrupted by the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

when he served as

Military Chaplain A military chaplain ministers to military personnel and, in most cases, their families and civilians working for the military. In some cases, they will also work with local civilians within a military area of operations. Although the term ''cha ...

. On 12 March 1940, he was commissioned as Chaplain to the Forces 4th Class (equivalent to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

). On 10 May 1945, it was announced that Treacy had been

Mentioned in Despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...

"in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in

North West Europe North West Europe may refer to: * Northwestern Europe, a loosely defined subregion of Europe, overlapping Northern and Western Europe * North-West Europe 1940, World War II campaign also known as the Battle of France * North West Europe campaign, ...

". He was promoted to a Chaplain to the Forces 3rd Class (equivalent to

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

). On 24 January 1946, he was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(MBE). In 1946 Treacy published his first book which contained images of L.M.S. locomotives. On demobilisation he became Rector of

Keighley Keighley ( ) is a market town and a civil parishes in England, civil parish in the City of Bradford Borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is the second-largest settlement in the borough, after Bradford. Keighley is north-west of Bradford, n ...

and in 1949 was appointed

Archdeacon of Halifax The Archdeacon of Halifax is the priest in charge of the archdeaconry of Halifax, an administrative division of the Church of England Diocese of Leeds (formerly in the Diocese of Wakefield.)

Episcopal ministry

In 1961, Treacy was

consecrated Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

a bishop and appointed the

Bishop of Pontefract The Bishop of Wakefield is an Episcopal polity, episcopal title which takes its name after the City status in the United Kingdom, city of Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. Th ...

, a

suffragan bishop A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Catholic Church, a suffragan bishop leads a diocese within an ecclesiastical province other than the principal diocese, the metropolitan archdiocese; the diocese led b ...

in the

Diocese of Wakefield The Diocese of Wakefield is a former Church of England diocese based in Wakefield in West Yorkshire, covering Wakefield, Barnsley, Kirklees and Calderdale. The cathedral was Wakefield Cathedral and the bishop was the diocesan Bishop of Wa ...

. In 1968, he was made

Bishop of Wakefield The Bishop of Wakefield is an episcopal title which takes its name after the city of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. The title was first created for a diocesan bishop in 1888, but it was dissolved in 2014. The Bishop of Wakefield is ...

, the diocesan bishop. He held the post until he retired from full-time ministry in 1976.

Death and commemoration

On 13 May 1978, Treacy died from a heart attack on Appleby Station on the Settle-Carlisle Railway whilst waiting for a railtour hauled by

BR 92220 Evening Star BR Standard Class 9F number 92220 ''Evening Star'' is a preserved British steam locomotive completed in 1960. It was the last steam locomotive to be built by British Railways. It was the only British main line steam locomotive earmarked for pr ...

. A slate plaque is displayed on the main station building in his memory. He is buried at

St Kentigern's Church, Crosthwaite Crosthwaite Parish Church is a church at Great Crosthwaite on the outskirts of Keswick in Cumbria, England. It is dedicated to St Kentigern and is the Anglican church of the parish of Crosthwaite. Since 1951 it has been a Grade II* listed bui ...

, Keswick. In 1979

LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0 The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) Stanier Class 5 4-6-0, commonly known as the Black Five, is a class of steam locomotives. It was introduced by William Stanier and built between 1934 and 1951. A total of 842 were built, initially ...

number 45428 was named Eric Treacy. It is now preserved on the

North Yorkshire Moors Railway The North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) is a heritage railway in North Yorkshire, England, that runs through the North York Moors National Park. First opened in 1836 as the Whitby and Pickering Railway, the railway was planned in 1831 by Ge ...

. The Treacy Collection of 12,000 photographs forms part of the

National Railway Museum The National Railway Museum (NRM) is a museum in York, England, forming part of the Science Museum Group. The museum tells the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It is the home of the national collection of historical ...

'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 Allan Ltd, London. * Eric Treacy (1976), ''Roaming the Northern Rails'' * Eric Treacy (1977), ''Roaming the East Coast Main Line'' Ian Allan. * Eric Treacy (1969), ''Lure of Steam'' Ian Allan , 1980 reprint * Eric Treacy (1981, reprint(?) ''Glory of Steam'' Ian Allan *

G. Freeman Allen Geoffrey Freeman Allen (16 March 1922 – 7 July 1995) was an English author specialising in the field of railways. He authored many books and magazine articles on this subject, and for a time was editor of ''Jane's World Railways''. His name was ...

, (1982), ''Great Railway Photographs by Eric Treacy'' Peerage Books, London * * 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'' * Eric Treacy (1994), ''The Best of Eric Treacy'' Atlantic Transport Publishers * David Jenkinson & Patrick Whitehouse (1988), ''Eric Treacy's L.M.S.'' Oxford Publishing Company

References

External links

Eric Treacy Photographic Collection (National Railway Museum)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Treacy, Eric 1907 births 1978 deaths Alumni of King's College London Archdeacons of Halifax Bishops of Pontefract Bishops of Wakefield (diocese) Photographers from London Members of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Haberdashers' Boys' School Rail transport photographers 20th-century Church of England bishops World War II chaplains British people associated with Heritage Railways English military chaplains Royal Army Chaplains' Department officers