Sir Gerald Barry (20 November 1898 – 21 November 1968) was a British newspaper editor and organiser of the

Festival of Britain The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition and fair that reached millions of visitors throughout the United Kingdom in the summer of 1951. Historian Kenneth O. Morgan says the Festival was a "triumphant success" during which people: ...

in 1951. According to historian F.M. Leventhal, Barry was a long-time newspaper editor, with left-leaning, middle-brow views. He was not seen as a Labour ideologue. He selected the next rank of Festival organizers, giving preference to young architects and designers who had collaborated on exhibitions for the wartime Ministry of Information. Born in

Surbiton Surbiton is a suburban neighbourhood in South West London, within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames (RBK). It is next to the River Thames, southwest of Charing Cross. Surbiton was in the historic county of Surrey and since 1965 it has ...

, Barry studied at

Marlborough College Marlborough College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent boarding school) for pupils aged 13 to 18 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. Founded in 1843 for the sons of Church ...

, and planned to continue his education at

Corpus Christi College, Cambridge Corpus Christi College (full name: "The College of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary", often shortened to "Corpus"), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. From the late 14th century through to the early 19th century ...

, but instead joined the

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

then, on its establishment, the Royal Air Force. In 1919, he took a post as a journalist at the ''

Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet i ...

'', and, in 1921, he moved to the '' Saturday Review'' as assistant editor, becoming editor in 1924. He resigned in 1930, refusing an order from the board of directors to support the United Empire Party. He was immediately appointed editor of the new ''Week-End Review'', an article in which prompted the formation of the Political and Economic Planning think-tank; Barry was appointed as a founder member.Barry, Sir Gerald
, '' Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''; accessed 4 June 2017. When the ''Week-end Review'' merged with the '' New Statesman'' in 1934, Barry joined its board of directors. Meanwhile, he took a post as features editor of the '' News Chronicle'', succeeding

Aylmer Vallance Gerald Aylmer Vallance (4 July 1892–24 November 1955), born George Alexander Gerald Vallance, was a Scottish newspaper editor. Born in Partick, Vallance studied at Fettes College in Edinburgh and Balliol College, Oxford, before serving with ...

as editor in 1936, serving until 1947. The following year, he was appointed director-general of the Festival of Britain, with responsibility for selecting and leading the team which organised the event. He was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in the

1951 Birthday Honours The King's Birthday Honours 1951 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The appointments were made to celebrate the o ...

. After the festival, Barry served on a variety of quangos, and in 1959 took charge of educational programming for

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire but only on weekdays as ABC Weekend Television was it ...

Personal life/death

His wives included actress

Vera Lindsay Vera Lindsay (née Poliakoff; 27 November 191115 June 1992) was a British Shakespearean actress. Career Vera Lindsay performed at The Old Vic during the 1930s alongside Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud, and under the direction of Michel Saint-De ...

. His son,

Stephen Barry Stephen Leon Reid Barry (4 July 1945 – 18 October 2000) was a British arts administrator, drama producer, and artistic director. He was chief executive of two Edinburgh theatres, the Festival and the King's, prime venues of the fam ...

, became a producer and director. Another son,

Christopher Barry Christopher Chisholm Barry (20 September 1925 – 7 February 2014) was a British television director. He worked extensively in BBC television drama and became best known for his work on the science fiction series ''Doctor Who''. He also directe ...

(1925–2014), was also a director. Barry died on 21 November 1968, the day after his 70th birthday.

References

External links

Gerald Barry papers held at LSE Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barry, Gerald 1898 births 1968 deaths Military personnel from London Royal Air Force officers Royal Flying Corps officers English newspaper editors English male journalists People educated at Marlborough College Knights Bachelor People from Surbiton British Army personnel of World War I Royal Air Force personnel of World War I