Richard George Arthur Barclay, (1920 – 17 July 1942) was a Royal Air Force fighter pilot and flying ace of the Second World War. He was killed in action during the First Battle of El Alamein.

Early life

Barclay was born in

South London South London is the southern part of London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the Districts of England, boroughs, in whole or in part, of London Borough of Bexley, Bexley, London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, London Borou ...

in 1920; his father Gilbert was an

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

, and his mother Dorothy the daughter of missionary

CT Studd Charles Thomas Studd, often known as C. T. Studd (2 December 1860 – 16 July 1931), was a British missionary, a contributor to ''The Fundamentals'', and a cricketer. As a British Anglican Christian missionary to China he was part of the Camb ...

and his family home for most of his childhood was in the

rectory A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage. Function A clergy house is typically ow ...

Great Holland The Ship Inn in Great Holland Great Holland is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Frinton and Walton, in the Tendring district, in the county of Essex, England. It is to the north-east of Holland-on-Sea, and west of Frinton-o ...

, on the Essex coast. He attended

Hawtreys Hawtreys Preparatory School was an independent boys' preparatory school in England, first established in Slough, later moved to Westgate-on-Sea, then to Oswestry, and finally to a country house near Great Bedwyn, Wiltshire. In its early years ...

preparatory school,

Stowe School , motto_translation = I stand firm and I stand first , established = , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent school, day & boarding , religion = Church of England , president = , head_label = Headmaster ...

, and Trinity College, Cambridge, and joined the University Air Squadron in 1938.

Second World War

Called up on the outbreak of war, and posted to No. 249 Squadron RAF in July 1940, he flew through the Battle of Britain, receiving the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) in October. During the Battle of Britain, his diary records that he could see his house while flying from RAF North Weald. Barclay's DFC citation from November 1940 reads: As a flight commander with

No. 611 Squadron RAF No. 611 (West Lancashire) Squadron is a British Royal Air Force squadron. It was first formed in 1936 and was disbanded in 1957 after seeing combat as a fighter unit during the Second World War. It was reformed as a reserve squadron in 2013. His ...

, Barclay was shot down over occupied France in September 1941. He force landed and evaded capture, making his way to Spain with help from the French Resistance. In April 1942 he was posted to North Africa and returned to flying as CO of No. 238 Squadron RAF, flying Hawker Hurricanes Mk II's. He was shot down and killed by

Werner Schröer Werner Schröer (12 February 1918 – 10 February 1985) was a German World War II fighter ace credited with shooting down 114 enemy aircraft. He served in the Luftwaffe from 1937, initially as a member of the ground staff, until the end of Worl ...

of III./ Jagdgeschwader 27 on 17 July 1942. He is buried at the El Alamein War Cemetery, Egypt. Barclay's older brother Charles, an army officer, was killed in 1944.a memorial to both brothers is in Cromer Parish Church, where their father was vicar at the time of their deaths: George Barclay, "Battle of Britain Pilot:the self-portrait of an RAF fighter pilot and escaper," Haynes Publishing, 2012 p18 His diaries, written during his wartime career up until his death, were published in 1974 and give a rare, descriptive and highly articulate first hand account of the life of a fighter pilot in 1940–41. An expanded edition was published in 2012.

Bibliography

* Barclay, George. (1977). ''Angels 22: A Self-Portrait of a Fighter Pilot''. aperback evised Edition Arrow Books. or

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barclay, George 1920 births 1942 deaths People educated at Stowe School Royal Air Force squadron leaders Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Royal Air Force personnel killed in World War II Royal Air Force pilots of World War II Aviators killed by being shot down Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge The Few People educated at Hawtreys Military personnel from London