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Wilbert Awdry By George Bayfield
Awdry’s story • Awdry was born at Ampfield vicarage near Romsey, Hampshire in 1911. Awdry's father was the Rev Vere Awdry, the vicar of Ampfield, and his mother was Lucy Awdry, née Bury. His younger brother, George, was born in 1916. All three of Awdry's older half-siblings from his father's first marriage died young. In 1917 the family moved to Box, in Wiltshire, moving again in 1919, and 1920, still in Box, the third house being Journey's End (renamed from Lorne Villa), which remained the family home until August 1928.
Inspiration • Journey's End was only 200 yards (180 m) from the western end of Box Tunnel. There the Great Western Railway main line climbs at a gradient of 1 in 100 for two miles, and a banking engine was kept there to assist freight trains up the hill. These trains usually ran at night and the young Wilbert could hear them from his bed, listening to the coded whistle signals between the train engine and the banker, and the sharp bark from the locomotive exhausts as they fought their way up the incline. Awdry related: "There was no doubt in my mind that steam engines all had definite personalities. I would hear them snorting up the grade and little imagination was needed to hear in the puffings and pantings of the two engines the conversation they were having with one another: 'I can't do it! I can't do it! I can't do it!' 'Yes, you can! Yes, you can! Yes, you can!'" Here was the inspiration for the story of Edward helping Gordon's train up the hill, a story that Wilbert first told his son Christopher some 25 years later, and which appeared in the first of the Railway Series books.[ • The first book (The Three Railway Engines) was published in 1945, and by the time Awdry stopped writing in 1972, The Railway Series numbered 26 books. Christopher subsequently added further books to the series
Were you the first engine to meet Wilbert? Is this on? OH! Yes I was! When I first met Wilbert, he asked me to give him a ride! So after the ride he asked where the other engines were. So now we are in showbiz!
Also… • In 1952, Awdry volunteered as a guard on the Talyllyn Railway in Wales, then in its second year of preservation. The railway inspired Awdry to create the Skarloey Railway, based on the Talyllyn, with some of his exploits being written into the stories. • Awdry wrote other books besides those of The Railway Series, both fiction and non-fiction. The story Belinda the Beetle was about a red car (it became a Volkswagen Beetle only in the illustrations to the paperback editions).
What didn’t you like about Wilbert Awdry? Something I didn’t like about Mr Awdry was he put me in the book, but with my OLD SHAPE! Can you believe it?
Goofs from the Old series • Thomas and the Breakdown Train: In the close-up of James' wheels on fire, a small metal rod is creating the sparks and it appears to have lifted up his front bogie. • The sad story of Henry: Since Henry was headed toward Knapford, Thomas would've had to come from Elsbridge or Wellsworth. What was he doing that far away from Knapford? He does his duties around Knapford, and only wished he could go beyond there. • And James and the coaches: While the Fat Controller is talking to Edward and James, a train passing them has a brakevan in the middle of its train.
When the Rev died, how did you feel? The Rev’s Death gave a new meaning to “Railway Shame” Percy cried for 19 weeks after the death. We never spoke of the death after…
Memoriams • A Class 91 locomotive, 91 124 bears the name The Rev W Awdry. A Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0ST (saddle tank) engine on the Dean Forest Railway is named Wilbert after him; and was used as the title character in Christopher Awdry's Railway Series book Wilbert the Forest Engine.
The End Hurray for the Awdrys! By TGBV Productions!
