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

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of t ...

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 research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

, though he left without taking a degree.

Ordained ministry

In 1932 he was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

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 churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...

in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Brit ...

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 deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

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 terminus railway station and the main station serving the city centre of Liverpool. Opened in August 1836, it is the oldest still-operating grand terminus mainline station in the world. A branch of the West Coast ...

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, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

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 '' ...

. 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 of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

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

Mentioned in Despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) 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 ...

"in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in

North West Europe Northwestern Europe, or Northwest Europe, is a loosely defined subregion of Europe, overlapping Northern and Western Europe. The region can be defined both geographically and ethnographically. Geographic definitions Geographically, North ...

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

major Major ( commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicato ...

). 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 contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established 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 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 city centre, north-west o ...

and in 1949 was appointed Archdeacon of Halifax.

Episcopal ministry

In 1961, Treacy was

consecrated Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different gro ...

a bishop and appointed the

Bishop of Pontefract 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 now ...

, a suffragan bishop 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 Wakef ...

. In 1968, he was made

Bishop of Wakefield 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 in West Yorkshire, England. The title was first created for a Diocese, diocesan Anglican minist ...

, 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 to 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 buildi ...

, 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, of which 842 were built and were numb ...

number 45428 was named Eric Treacy. The Treacy Collection of 12,000 photographs forms part of the

National Railway Museum The National Railway Museum is a museum in York 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 historically significant ...

'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'' * 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 wa ...

, (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

Railway Photographers (steamindex.com)
{{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