Wilbert Awdry

Wilbert Awdry
Wilbert Awdry in 1988, with one of his creations, "Peter Sam" on the Talyllyn Railway, Wales
Born	(1911-06-15)June 15, 1911 Ampfield, Hampshire, England
Died	21 March 1997 (1997-03-22) (aged 85) Rodborough, Stroud, Gloucestershire, England
Occupation	Anglican cleric, railway enthusiast, author
Years active	1945–1997
Spouse	Margaret Awdry (née Wale) (m. 1938–1989; her death)
Children	Christopher Awdry (1940-) Hilary Fortnam (1946-2013) Veronica Chambers (1941-)

Wilbert Vere Awdry OBE (15 June 1911 – 21 March 1997) was an English Anglican cleric, railway enthusiast, and children's author. Better known as the Reverend W. Awdry, he was the creator of Thomas the Tank Engine, the central figure in his Railway Series.

Awdry was born at Ampfield vicarage near Romsey, Hampshire on 15 June 1911. His father was the Reverend Vere Awdry (1854-1928), the Anglican vicar of Ampfield, and his mother was Lucy Awdry (née Bury) (1884-1965). His younger brother, George, was born on 10 August 1916 and died on 27 October 1994. 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.

"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. A banking engine was kept there to assist freight trains up the hill. These trains usually ran at night and the young Awdry could hear them from his bed, listening to the coded whistle signals between the train engine and the banker as well as 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.