Eric Tonks
Born(1914-07-17)17 July 1914
Birmingham, United Kingdom
Died(1994-12-26)26 December 1994
Birmingham, United Kingdom
OccupationWriter
NationalityBritish
Period1943-1992
GenreIndustrial history, Jazz
SubjectRailways, quarrying, industrial history, jazz
Notable worksThe Ironstone Quarries of the Midlands
Notable awardsMSc, FRIC, Dip Maths
Children2

Eric Tonks (17 July 1914[1] – 26 December 1994[2]) was an English writer and historian of British industrial railways. He is regarded as one of the pioneers of the industrial archaeology of railways and quarrying.[2] He was also a noted Jazz discographer.

Industrial railways

In 1949, Tonks was one of the founders of the Birmingham Locomotive Club and he was the club's president for 25 years.[2] He also set up the club's Industrial Locomotive Section, which later became the Industrial Railway Society.[3] He compiled a well-regarded study of the development of British preserved railways.[4]

Author

Tonks was a prolific author on the related subjects of industrial history and industrial railways. He began his writing career with a book on the Edge Hill Light Railway, and he was an acknowledged expert in the history of that railway.[5]

He is particularly known for his "magnum opus"[2] 9-volume series of books on the ironstone industry of The Midlands, which is considered the standard work on the subject.[6][7] Tonks began work on this series with the publication of a single volume in 1959.[8] This was expanded into 9 volumes in the 1980s and 1990s. These books are acknowledged, as a "great work...on industrial infrastructure"[9] and the 1959 edition was one of the first books to integrate the study of industrial railway history with the wider historical and social aspects of the industries they served.[10]

Other interests

Tonks was a founding member of the Motor Registration Circuit, a club based in the Midlands for car license plate spotting enthusiasts.[1] He was considered an expert in this field.[11] He was also a well-known Jazz aficionado,[12] who wrote a regular column for Discography magazine[13] and was considered an expert in the field of Jazz discographies.[14]

Works

Ironstone Quarries

Originally published as:

Full series:

Other books

References

  1. ^ a b "Unravelling the mysteries of car numbers". Birmingham Daily Post. 4 January 1966.
  2. ^ a b c d "Eric Tonks". The Railway Magazine. Vol. 141. March 1995. p. 13.
  3. ^ "A look at a selection of artefacts on show in the museum". Chasewater Railway. 13 March 2013.
  4. ^ Carter, Ian (9 January 2017). British Railway Enthusiasm. Oxford University Press. p. 114.
  5. ^ "Look Back with Little: Importance of Railway". Banbury Guardian. 29 September 2014.
  6. ^ "Historic Environment Record: Northamptonshire" (PDF). Northamptonshire Industrial Archeology Group.
  7. ^ "Earth Sciences History: Journal of the History of the Earth Sciences Society". 16. The Society. 1997. ((cite journal)): Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  8. ^ "Ironstone Quarries". Bulletin of Industrial Archeology in CBA. No. 3. October 1967.
  9. ^ Amber, R. W. (1999). The History and Practice of Britain's Railways: A New Research Agenda. Ashgate.
  10. ^ "Industrial History". Transport History. 1–2. Graphmitre Limited. 1968.
  11. ^ "Upsetting tradition". Birmingham Daily Post. 19 April 1966.
  12. ^ Mecklenburg, Carl Gregor; Ruecker, Norbert (1983). International Bibliography of Jazz Books: 1921-1949. Koerner.
  13. ^ Venables, R.G.V; Tonks, Eric (August 1943). "Information Please, a regular monthly feature for collectors". Discography.
  14. ^ Pickup: The Record Collector's Guide. Vol. 2. Pickup. 1947.
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