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Lucy Louise Awdry (Bury) was the Mother of both Wilbert and George Awdry.

Biography

Lucy Awdry was born in Winchester, Hampshire, England sometime around 1881, not much is known abound her early life, but in 1909 she would go on to become the third wife of Vere Awdry, several years later on June 15th 1911, she gave birth to her first son, Wilbert Awdry. When Wilbert was young, his mother kept a detailed record of his life so far, in a journal entitled "Wilbert Vere Awdry. Record Book" After his birth, she describe Wilbert by saying "He is not a pretty baby" but also that he was "healthy looking" and had a "quantity of soft brown hair" and "bright blue eyes that are full of twinkles". In over one-hundred and sixty pages of her record book, she detailed almost everything that happened to Wilbert, who she nicknamed 'baby' during the first several years of his life. The record book also contained press cuttings from the time, various different photographs, and framed decorations that were delicately painted with watercolors. It was on the afternoon of June 15th 1911, at precisely 5:22 PM that Wilbert was born, at the Ampfield Vicarage in Romsey, Hampshire. Lucy described her son as a "Short but perfectly formed baby" "who had longs fingers and toes, and a mouse face with 'the Awdry chin and ears'", also describing him as having a 'loud and persistent voice'. Lucy had a close friend named Edith Simeon, who was part of the staff at the Winchester High School, and often accompanied her on her 'cycle trip' when she visited Vere and Mary Awdry. Lucy also showed a promising talent for poetry. On one of her visits to Ampfield in the fall of 1908, she wrote the following verse "Ampfield Oaks and Ampfield Beeches Gleam and glow with autumn fires. Cloistered in dark shiny leafage Ampfield Church to Heaven retires. Ampfield dogs are long and friendly. Ampfield children dear and round Ampfield has the nicest Vicarage for quite forty miles around". Several years later on the date of Wilbert's birth, she would add several more lines to this verse, that went as follows "Ampfield Roads are hot and dusty Ampfield Pond has dried away. In the Ampfield Vicarage garden only plantains hold their sway. Ampfield dogs are white and lively Ampfield mokes make strident sound Ampfield holds the dearest Baby in the whole world to be found". Over the next few following weeks after Wilbert's birth, Lucy continued writing more entries within her diary, talking about the development of her new child. "He blinks his eyes at the approach of a finger" and that he showed hostility towards vaccination "There were many yells of indignation" she stated. "My first attempt to bath Baby. I took nearly 3/4 hour. Baby most indignant. Nurse and I very much agitated and exhausted". Lucy wrote in her diary. Lucy recorded that her son 'behaved well' during his christening that took play on July 30th of that year. In another entry, Lucy stated that Sprack (the family dog) "stopped a most exciting chase to come and "mind baby" in the churchyard at my request whilst i filled my jug at the foundation". The final entry in this record book contained a series of family photographs captured in July of 1913. Whilst he was still young, Wilbert often took walks with his mother alongside Romsey Road, although many years later Wilbert would state that he has no recollection of these walks, stating that "I probably found them dull'. On August 10th of 1916 Lucy gave birth to her second son, who was named George Edward Vere Awdry, referring to him as a "very well dis-positioned baby with a 'sweet smile'". At one point or another Lucy even looked into the possibility of Wilbert going off to work in Canada, where her brother Arthur lived, in the end however, this never happened. On July 12th 1928, Lucy's husband, Vere Awdry had a fall in his room, dying on the scene, the funeral was held several days afterwards on July 16th. Lucy was grieved by the almost sudden death of her husband. In 1938 Wilbert shared the news with his mother, that he had gotten engaged to Margaret Wale, whom would soon become his wife. At first Lucy wasn't two accepting of the relationship, but eventually she decided to tolerate her daughter-in-law, even being friendly towards her, and giving her the nickname of "Mea". Lucy Awdry died sometime during 1972, at the age of approximately 87 years old, passing away in the same year that Wilbert's final main Railway Series book "Tramway Engines" was published. She often disaaproved of books that Wilbert used to read as a child, sometimes even throwing them out, thinking they might have a bad influence on her child. This may explain why years later, Wilbert's characters in the Railway Series got into similair antics as those of characters in old books that he used to read.

Sources

  • The Thomas the Tank Engine Man (Pages 19, 31, 34, 40, 42, 43, 45-50, 52-55, 57, 59, 62-63, 65-72, 80, 83, 85, 87, 358; 2015 Version).
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