Barnes, George Barkley: my Navy recollections (July 25, 1979)

An interview/narrative of George Barkley Barnes's experiences during World War I. Commander Barnes served with the Royal Canadian Navy. Interview took place on July 25, 1979.

ABSTRACT: Cdr. George Barkley Barnes Royal Canadian Navy Barnes_G_007_01.mp3 Born on Dec. 13, 1898 at Work Point Barracks in Victoria, B.C. (d. 198-?) Recounts his early life in Victoria and Crofton districts. Was a great-grandson of Capt. C.W. Barkley after whom Barkley Sound, Vancouver Island was named. His father, an officer in the Royal Marine Artillery stationed in Victoria, was sent home to England and returned to Vancouver Island in 1906. Schooling at the University School, Victoria and in Duncan, B.C. At age fifteen wrote the entrance exam to the Royal Naval College of Canada, Halifax and joined on Aug. 1, 1914. Graduated in Dec. 1916. Midshipman training was undertaken in H.M.S. Leviathan (cruiser) in the West Indies. Considers Canadian midshipmen more advanced academically than Royal Navy (R.N.) midshipmen, but the latter had experienced more sea time. Barnes_G_007_02.mp3 Served in H.M.S. Minotaur (cruiser) based in Scapa Flow where he was engaged in convoy duty to Trondheim in Norway. Sub-lieutenant courses taken at H.M.S. Excellent at Portsmouth. Observed the Victory parade in London, 1919, following which he was awarded a prize, offered by the French government, of a trip to Paris and the battlefields of northern France. Returned to Canada on leave in the same ship as a Chinese labour battalion being repatriated to China. Met Adm. Jellicoe who was conducting his naval mission to Canada. Served again with the R.N. in the West Indies. Returned to Canada in H.M.C.S. Patrician (destroyer) in 1920. Additional courses in Britain. In 1922 served in H.M.S. Harebell (sloop). Fisheries patrol to North Russia.

Interviewer: Roy, Reginald H.; Main, Chris D.

Rank: Commander.

Interviewee: Barnes, George Barkley, 1898-1985

In Collection:

• Canadian Military Oral Histories

Contributor

• Roy, Reginald H.; Main, Chris D.
• Barnes, George Barkley, 1898-1985

Subject

• Military history
• World War (1914-1918)
• Canada. Royal Canadian Navy

Language

• eng

Keyword

• Sloops--Great Britain
• World War, 1914-1918--Naval operations--North Sea
• Minesweepers
• World War, 1914-1918--Naval operations, British
• Barkley, Charles William, 1759-1832
• Canada--Royal Canadian Navy
• Trondheim Fjord (Norway)
• Cruisers (Warships)--Great Britain
• World War, 1914-1918--Personal narratives, Canadian
• Victoria (B.C.)--History
• HMS Excellent (Training establishment : Portsmouth, England)
• World War, 1914-1918--Naval operations, Canadian
• Flower class (Sloop)
• Minotaur (1906) (Armored cruiser)
• Harebell (Escort Sloop)
• Parades--London--England--1919
• Vancouver Island (B.C.)--Social life and customs
• Victoria (B.C.)--Social life and customs
• Royal Naval College of Canada (Halifax, N.S.)
• Trondheim (Norway)
• Great Britain--Royal Navy--North America and West Indies Station
• Great Britain--Royal Navy--Sea life
• Midshipmen
• Vancouver Island (B.C.)--History
• World War, 1914-1918--Naval operations--Arctic Ocean
• Scapa Flow (Scotland)
• Patrician (Destroyer)
• Naval convoys
• Barnes, George Barkley, 1898-1985--Interviews
• Leviathan (1901) (Armored cruiser)
• Jellicoe, John Rushworth Jellicoe, Earl, 1859-1935

Date created

• July 25, 1979

Relation

• Part of the Reginald H. Roy collection of interviews.

Resource type

• Sound

Rights statement

• In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Extent

• 2 sound recordings (MP3)

Geographic coverage

• Canada
• Great Britain

Coordinates

• 60.10867, -113.64258
• 54.75844, -2.69531

Additional physical characteristics

• One original sound tape reel (ca. 90 min.) : 1 7/8 ips, 2 track, mono. ; 1 sound cassette copy : standard, mono. in Special Collections.

Physical repository

• University of Victoria (B.C.). Library

Collection

• Canadian Military Oral History Collection

Provider

• University of Victoria (B.C.). Library

Genre

• reminiscences
• interviews
• sound recordings
• oral histories (literary genre)

Archival item identifier

• BGB_007

Fonds title

• Reginald Herbert Roy fonds

Fonds identifier

• SC104

Is referenced by

• Special Collections Finding Aid: https://uvic2.coppul.archivematica.org/reginald-herbert-roy-fonds

Date digitized

• February 6, 2009

Technical note

• Digital sound recording in .wav format at 16 bits and 44 kHz. In .mp3 format at 56 kbps and 32 kHz. Digitized by HC and JF, technical and cataloguing metadata provided by JF and JP. ; WWI Transferred from audio reel to audio cassette between 1987-1997. Interview migrated to digital format for UVic Special Collections in 2009. Migration metadata by KD and MT.

Rights

• This interview has been posted with the understanding that it may be used for research purposes only. Should the interviewee or their heirs have any objections to this interview being accessible on the Internet, it will be removed promptly. Contact UVic Special Collections for permission if using for other than research purposes: speccoll@uvic.ca

DOI

•  https://doi.org/10.58066/gvkb-hh82

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