Francis Vernon Willey, 2nd Baron Barnby, CMG, CBE, MVO, TD (29 September 1884 – 30 April 1982) was an English aristocrat, soldier and politician. He was the son of

Francis Willey, 1st Baron Barnby Francis Willey, 1st Baron Barnby (27 February 1841 – 16 February 1929) was an English wool merchant. Willey was born in Bradford and joined his father's wool business, which later became Francis Willey & Co Ltd and had agencies all over the ...

and was educated at

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...

and Magdalen College, Oxford University, (B.A.,1906, M.A.,1908). He succeeded his father as 2nd Baron Barnby in 1929, inheriting the Blyth estate He served as Lieutenant-Colonel commanding the

Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry The Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry (SRY) was a British Yeomanry regiment. In 1967 it was amalgamated with other units to form the Royal Yeomanry (RY), a light cavalry regiment of the Army Reserve. Originally raised as the Nottinghamshire Yeomanry Cav ...

, and was later (with the same rank) Assistant Director of Equipment and Ordnance for the War Office, 1916–20. He fought in World War I serving in Egypt and

Gallipoli The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles ...

. He was the Unionist (Conservative) Member of Parliament for Bradford South, from 1918 to 1922. He was President of the Federation of British Industries (a predecessor of the CBI), 1925–26, a member of the

Central Electricity Board The United Kingdom Central Electricity Board (CEB) was established by the Electricity (Supply) Act 1926. It had the duty to supply electricity to authorised electricity undertakers, to determine which power stations would be 'selected' stations ...

1927–46, a member of the

Overseas Settlement Board Overseas may refer to: * ''Overseas'' (album), a 1957 album by pianist Tommy Flanagan and his trio *Overseas (band), an American indie rock band * "Overseas" (song), a 2018 song by American rappers Desiigner and Lil Pump * "Overseas" (Tee Grizzley ...

from 1937, and Chev. of the Legion of Honour. He was also Master of the

Blankney Hunt The Blankney Hunt is an English foxhound pack, based in the village of Blankney, Lincolnshire, with hunting country of around by within Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. History and masters The hunt dates from 1871, when the old Burton Hu ...

in 1919 and 1933. In business, he was a director of Lloyds Bank. Lord Barnby, despite his advancing years, was an active parliamentarian and attended the House of Lords regularly. He was an early member of the Conservative Monday Club, stating at a Club function in 1964 "where would the black African population of

Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...

have been by now without the civilizing influence of the white population?". In April 1967 he contributed an essay on "Rhodesia" to the ''Monday Club Newsletter''. He was Chairman of the club's ''Action Fund'' 1969–71, and was co-opted onto the club's Executive Council on 11 May 1970.''Monday Club Newsletter'', July/August 1970, p.7 In the House of Lords in September 1972 he called for the government to suspend aid to Idi Amin's Uganda and in April 1975 he addressed the club's Africa Group in a committee room at the House of Lords following his recent visit to South Africa and

. On his death without male issue, the

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

y of Barnby became extinct. He had married on 20 November 1940, Banning, daughter of the late William Drayton Grange, from Pennsylvania.

References

* Townend, Peter, (editor) ''Burke's Peerage'', 105th edition, London, 1970. * Copping, Robert, ''The Story of The Monday Club - The First Decade'' Current Affairs Information Service, London, April 1972, (P/B).
ThePeerage.com

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Willey, Vernon 2nd Baron Barnby Barnby, Francis Vernon Willey, 2nd Baron Barnby, Francis Vernon Willey, 2nd Baron Willey, Francis Vernon Barons Barnby Willey, Francis Vernon Barnby, Francis Vernon Willey, 2nd Baron Willey, Francis Vernon British Army personnel of World War I Politics of Bradford Willey, Francis Vernon People from Bassetlaw District Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Members of the Royal Victorian Order