The Fat Clergyman (RWS)

The Railway Series

Thomas & Friends

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The Fat Clergyman
Background Information
First Appearance	Small Railway Engines (1967)
Last Appearance	Duke the Lost Engine (1970)
Creator(s)	Rev. W. Awdry
Character Overview
Name	Edwin "Teddy" Boston
Nickname(s)	The Fat Clergyman
Gender	Male
Country of Origin	England
Affiliation	The Thin Clergyman
Biographical Background
Born	20 August 1924
Died	1 April 1986
Occupation	Church of England clergyman Railway enthusiast

“Excuse me, are you a Vandal? Driver told me Vandals break in and smash things.”

― Duke

Edwin "Teddy" Boston, better known as The Fat Clergyman was a railway enthusiast and a close friend of The Thin Clergyman, the author of The Railway Series.

He is the fictionalised counterpart of Teddy Boston, a close of Wilbert Awdry.

Biography

The Fat Clergyman and his friend, the Thin Clergyman, once went to the Arlesdale Railway to take photographs of the engines for the upcoming book, Small Railway Engines. Bert liked the clergymen at first, but became uncomfortable when they continued squinting into their cameras without saying hello to him. The clergymen hopped back into their car and raced through a puddle, splashing Bert in the face with muddy water. Although the clergymen had meant no harm, Bert was still cross with them and managed to pay the Fat Clergyman out by splashing him with water from the overhead trees, though he got in trouble for this. The clergymen went to apologise to Bert and cleaned him up, telling him that they would feature him and the other small engines in a book.

In 1969, the Fat Clergyman had heard the story of Duke from the Thin Clergyman and he, the Thin Clergyman and the Small Controller made plans to recover Duke and send him to the Skarloey Railway to be restored. Every morning they went on Bert's train and searched through the hills of Arlesdale, but they did not find anything. Their search finally ended when the Fat Clergyman accidentally fell through the roof of the buried engine shed and landed on his saddletank, who had been sleeping the whole time.

In 1984, Duke later mentioned to the Skarloey Railway engines that the Fat Clergyman and Thin Clergyman found him and dedicated a book to him about his adventures.

Personality

The Fat Clergyman is a happy and optimistic man who is good friends with his thin counterpart and enjoys capturing the railways of Sodor on film.

Attire

The Fat Clergyman wears glasses with a white jumper, a black shirt, a black suit and grey shoes. 

Appearances

• Railway Series
• Other Media

The Railway Series Small Railway Engines - Tit for Tat Duke the Lost Engine - Sleeping Beauty Great Little Engines - Sir Handel Comes Home (mentioned) Companion volumes 1970 - Twelve Happy Engines (does not speak) 1996 - Thomas the Tank Engine: The Complete Collection 2005 - Sodor: Reading Between the Lines (mentioned) 2007 - Thomas the Tank Engine: The New Collection

Documentaries 1995 - The Thomas the Tank Engine Man

Official Description

• 2005

From Official Media:

“

The Fat Clergyman (1924-1986): This character really is based on the Rev'd E R ('Teddy') Boston, as anyone who has recognised his portrait in many of the illustrations in Small Railway Engines and Duke the Lost Engine will know. He and my father met in the late 1940s, and it was a friendship which grew during the next decade, when my father was Vicar of Emneth, just outside Wisbech and Teddy was curate of St.Peter's, Wisbech. Teddy later established the Cadeby Light Railway in his Vicarage there, a project which, for many years, held regular open days on the first Saturday of each month through the summer, though its future is currently (February 2005) in some doubt.

”

Trivia

• When the Thin and Fat Clergymen visited the Arlesdale Railway, they drove a purple car with the number plate "040 BMC".

Gallery

The Railway Series

Main Series

The Fat and Thin Clergymen with Bert

The Fat Clergymen lands on Duke's saddletank

Miscellaneous

References

United Kingdom

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