John T. Kenney was an English illustrator who worked on a number of the Railway Series

The Railway Series

The Railway Series is a set of story books about a railway system located on the fictional Island of Sodor. There are 42 books in the series, the first being published in 1945. Twenty-six were written by the Rev. W. Awdry, up to 1972. A further 16 were written by his son, Christopher Awdry; 14...

 books (also known as the Thomas the Tank Engine stories) by W.V. Awdry

W.V. Awdry

Wilbert Vere Awdry, OBE , was an English clergyman, railway enthusiast and children's author, better known as the Reverend W. Awdry and creator of Thomas the Tank Engine, who starred in Awdry's acclaimed Railway Series.-Life:Awdry was born at Ampfield vicarage near Romsey, Hampshire in 1911...

. His full name was John Theodore Eardley Kenney.

Introduction

Kenney was born in 1911 and trained at the Leicester College of Art, the same school that produced Clarence Reginald Dalby

Clarence Reginald Dalby

Clarence Reginald Dalby , born in Leicester, England, was the third illustrator of the Railway Series by W.V. Awdry.-History:He illustrates books The Three Railway Engines to Percy the Small Engine....

, the first illustrator of the Railway Series. Upon graduation he was employed by J.E. Slater, a firm of commercial artists located in Leicester.

Kenney served with the 44th Searchlight Regiment and the 121st Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. He landed in Normandy

Normandy

Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...

 on D-Day

D-Day

D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...

, and although he was not officially a war artist he recorded the scenes he saw in a number of impromptu drawings. He continued to draw what he saw as his regiment swept across Europe with the rest of the Allied contingent. After the war, he returned to Leicester, resuming work at J.E. Slater. It was at that time that he met his future wife, Peggy. In 1957 Kenney quit his position, choosing to work as a full-time freelance artist.

As a full time artist, Kenney became mentor to Neil Cawthorne. Neil is a well known equestrian artist, painting official pictures for the Grand National steeple chase, and HRH The Prince of Wales, playing polo. Neil started the Society of Equestrian Artists.

Contributions as illustrator

Awdry's choice of Kenney as a replacement for Dalby has been considered a fortuitous one. Kenney brought a lightness of touch and a naturalism to the illustrations that had been previously lacking. In the first book illustrated by Kenney, The Eight Famous Engines, Kenney's superb draftsmanship and his attention to detail are already obvious.

Kenney's last illustrations in the Railway Series were for 1962's Gallant Old Engine. By that time his eyesight was failing and he was unable to handle the fine details required for the Series' illustrations.

Before his retirement, Kenney also illustrated 31 children's books for the Leicester publisher Ladybird Books

Ladybird Books

Ladybird Books is a London-based publishing company, trading as a stand-alone imprint within the Penguin Group of companies. The Ladybird imprint publishes mass-market children's books.-History:...

, including a series on important British historical figures, such as Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens

Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...

, Florence Nightingale

Florence Nightingale

Florence Nightingale OM, RRC was a celebrated English nurse, writer and statistician. She came to prominence for her pioneering work in nursing during the Crimean War, where she tended to wounded soldiers. She was dubbed "The Lady with the Lamp" after her habit of making rounds at night...

, and Queen Elizabeth I, as well as a 1956 book of motor vehicle characters that has an affinity with the Awdry books he was soon to work on. He also provided art for the Hunter Hawk, Skyway Detective series.

John T. Kenney died in 1972 at the age of 61.

W. Awdry's Railway Series (published by Edmund Ward)

• The Eight Famous Engines (1957)
• Duck and the Diesel Engine (1958)
• The Little Old Engine (1959)
• The Twin Engines (1960)
• Branch Line Engines (1961)
• Gallant Old Engine (1962)

Ladybird Books (published by Wills & Hepworth)

• The Silver Arrow – A Robin Hood Adventure (1954)
• The Ambush – A Robin Hood Adventure (1955)
• Tootles the Taxi and Other Rhymes (1956)
• King Alfred the Great (1956)
• William the Conqueror (1956)
• The Circus Comes to Town (1957)
• Sir Walter Raleigh (1957)
• The Story of Nelson (1957)
• The Story of the First Queen Elizabeth (1958)
• The Story of Captain Cook (1958)
• Florence Nightingale (1959)
• Julius Caesar and Roman Britain (1959)
• The Story of Charles II (1960)
• David Livingstone (1960)
• Stone Age Man in Britain (1961)
• Christopher Columbus (1961)
• Marco Polo (1962)
• The Story of Henry V (1962)
• Oliver Cromwell (1963)
• Captain Scott (1963)
• Alexander the Great (1963)
• Robert the Bruce (1964)
• Richard the Lion Heart (1965)
• Charles Dickens (1965)
• Warwick the Kingmaker (1966)
• Cleopatra and Ancient Egypt (1966)
• James I and the Gunpowder Plot (1967)
• Napoleon (1968)
• King John and Magna Carta (1969)
• Joan of Arc (1971)
• The Pilgrim Fathers (1972)