Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Francis BARCLAY TD
1/1st Norfolk Yeomanry (King's Own) attached to the 12th (Norfolk Yeomanry) Battalion Norfolk Regiment

Date of birth: 6th November 1883
Date of death: 18th February 1968

Died aged 84
Buried at St Bartholomew's Church, Hanworth
Joseph Francis Barclay was born at "Underhills", Bletchingley in Surrey on the 6th of November 1883 the second son of Henry Albert Barclay MVO JP DL, a gentleman, and Marion Louisa (nee Hoare) Barclay of "Underhills", Bletchingley and of Hanworth Hall in Norfolk. He was christened at St Mary’s Church, Bletchingley on the 23rd of December 1883.

He was educated at Hazelwood School until December 1896 where he was a member of the Football XI in 1896. The school magazine wrote the following of his 1896 football season: - "Fairly fast and centres well from outside right, goes straight, but is rather easy to rob."

On his leaving the school the magazine wrote: - "Untimely flitting to Eton will be much regretted. He has been here too short a time for us to judge of his powers, but he is developing fast in every way, and is a keen all round sportsman and naturalist, and has a rare gift for drawing."

He went on to Eton College where he was in H. Broadbent's house from January 1897 to December 1901.

He became a Freemason on the 22nd of March 1909 and was a member of the Unanimity Lodge, No. 102. In 1911 and 1912 he served as Joint Master of the North Norfolk Harriers. He was married at the Holy Trinity Church, Sloane Street to Constance (nee Flower) on the 15th of February 1912; they had two sons, John Joseph, born on the 7th of January 1922 and James Arthur, born in 1923. They lived at "The Old House", Aylsham in Norfolk.

He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Norfolk Yeomanry on the 19th of August 1901 and was promoted to Lieutenant on the 22nd of March 1906. He was promoted to Captain on the 14th of September 1909 and to temporary Major on the 21st of October 1914.

On the 25th of September 1915 he sailed with his regiment aboard the SS Olympic bound for Lemnos and then Gallipoli. They landed on the 10th of October and served as dismounted troops on the peninsular until the 14th of December during which time they had suffered 315 casualties, mainly due to sickness. Joseph Barclay was taken ill with pneumonia on the 17th of October 1915 and was evacuated to Malta. He embarked for England at Malta on the 13th of November on board the Hospital Ship Morca and landed at Southampton on the 20th of November 1915.

He was promoted to Major on the 5th of April 1916. Following the evacuation of Gallipoli the regiment served in Egypt defending the Suez Canal. In 1917 they were re-designated as infantry, becoming the 12th Battalion Norfolk Regiment, and saw action in Palestine. He took command of the battalion on the 1st of October 1917, after returning from leave, and was promoted to Acting Lieutenant Colonel on the 15th of September 1917 while in command of his battalion, a rank he relinquished on the 17th of May 1918, having ceased to command the battalion on the 9th of May 1918. From May 1918 the battalion served in France with 31st Division. He was reappointed to Acting Lieutenant Colonel again on the 17th of July 1918 when he again took command of the battalion from the 5th of July 1918 to the 18th of August 1918. He relinquished that rank on the 29th of August 1918. He was demobilised on the 27th of May 1919.

He was awarded the Territorial Decoration on the 13th of October 1920 and relinquished his commission on the 30th of September 1921.

He worked as a director of Barclay Pallatt, millers and merchants and was later appointed as
a Justice of the Peace and as a Deputy Lieutenant.

At the beginning of World War Two he was appointed as Evacuation Officer for Mitford and Launditch and later commanded the 1st Battalion Norfolk Home Guard with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and was awarded the Order of the British Empire (Military Division) on the 15th of December 1944 for his work.

His son, Pilot Officer James Arthur Barclay 18 Squadron Royal Air Force, was killed in action on the 8th of December 1941.


Went on to Eton College

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