CHIEF OFFICER(SE) BARRY FINLAY, CROSSED THE BAR, SITREP 3 (495)

Crossed the Bar

Sitrep 1:- Funeral Details.

Sitrep 2:- Tribute from Martin Seymour

Sitrep 3:- Tribute from Alex Blackwood

It is with so much sadness that I report that Chief Officer(SE) Barry Finlay Crossed the Bar.

Sitrep 1,

Gill Forth has informed me of the Funeral Details for Barry.

The Funeral will be held at 10:30 on Thursday 9 April at Whitburn Parish Church followed  by cremation at South Shields Crematorium. Afterwards at South Shields Sailing Club Harbour Drive South Shields next to the Little Haven Hotel
Family Flowers only

Sitrep 2 Martin Seymour writes,

Barry was one of the forefathers of the SE branch in the days of its creation and we worked together on and off on the AOR class and at Foxhill, Bath in the days of DGSR. He was dark green and I was light green and he always took time, in the early days, to guide me in some of the dark green bits. The last time I saw Barry, he was working for a company undertaking a maintenance contract for the MCAS (Machinery Control & Surveillance System) system on the Fort Victoria, where I was the C/O(SE). He was crawling about in the double bottom looking for level sensors and such like. A job he would have tasked to someone else in his days as C/O(SE) on that class.
Martin Seymour
 Sitrep 3 Alex Blackwood Writes.

Pat, So sad to read that Barry has passed on. I read it a couple of days ago and still cannot quite believe it.

Barry and I were of much the same “Vintage”, joining the RFA as second (Junior) Electrical Officers in the mid sixties. Our careers progressed along parallel paths throughout. We never sailed together but relieved each other as Senior “leckies” and eventually Ch/off SE.

We met on many and various social occasions throughout our time in the RFA and shortly after retiring. It was always a pleasure to “Have a pint” with Barry

I can only pass on my deep and heartfelt condolences to Jean and  family. Barry you were a good shipmate and will be sadly missed.

Alex Blackwood.

 


I received the following email from Gill Forth, joint Chair of the Scottish and Newcastle Branch this morning:-

 

Hi Pat and Frank
I heard this morning that Barry Finlay slipped away peacefully last night. Barry was a good friend of ours, whom Phil and I first met back in 1978 we think on Resource. 
Our paths crossed on many occasions, his son Jamie was one of my mums Beaver Scouts, and as he progressed through our Sea Scout Group, Barry took his sailing qualifications and became an RYA Senior Sailing Instructor. He was well known at HMS Bristol where he took our Scouts  for many years for a week of water activities.
In more recent years Barry became our Scout District Secretary.
Barry also continued to sail and was a member of the South Shields sailing club, where he was proactive being their secretary for some years too.
After retiring from the sea Barry became a lecturer at South Tyneside College, continuing to work there until a few weeks ago.
Barry leaves a wife Jean, son Jamie (First Officer)who works for the RFA  most recently as Staff Navigator FOST) and daughter Katie.

I will keep you informed when I hear anything further regarding arrangements
Gill

As usual I will post any more news, arrangements etc on this page as they become available.

On behalf of the RFA Association I offer our sincere condolences to Jean and thier son Jamie.

 


If you have any remembrances of Barry please email it to me at deputy.chairman@rfaa.uk and I will post them on this page. I am also looking for photographs of Barry for this piece and the RFA Association Galery and Archive, If you have one please email it to me.