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SOLDIER OF THE MONTH
Brigadier Cyril Nelson Barclay C.B.E. D.S.O.
1st & 2nd Battalion The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
1915 - 1946
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Brigadier Barclay, or ‘Berk’ as he was fondly known to his comrades, had a long and distinguished service with The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles). He initially joined the 14th London Regiment (London Scottish) as a Private, however he was quickly commissioned into The Cameronians in 1915 as a 2nd Lieutenant. He served in France, and received a Mention in Dispatches for his service before serving in Mesopotamia with the Highland Light Infantry. |
Brigadier Barclay, 1915 |
After the war, Barclay returned to The Cameronians where he was promoted firstly to Captain and then adjutant of the 1st Battalion. After a stint in Staff College, he was sent onto the staff in India where he served for many years and where he also married his wife Susan.
At the outbreak of World War Two Barclay joined the 2nd Battalion in Comines as 2nd in command. Fellow soldiers said he:
“Kept calm in spite of shortages of petrol, almost non-existent communications and marching under pressure in hot weather. His orders were always clear and precise and he gained a reputation for somehow knowing when and where the enemy harassing bombardment would be and thus the men marched through positions safely.”
Barclay went on to command the 156 Brigade of the 52nd Lowland Division in 1941, and the division spent the next 3 years in Scotland, training in mountain warfare in preparation for an assault into Norway. Barclay took to his role with great enthusiasm and immersed himself fully in building up his knowledge on the subject. He was even sent to America in 1943 to accompany the Everest Mountaineer Frank Smythe on a lecture tour.This period was a frustrating time for the Brigade, as they had yet to see any front line service and morale was further lowered when their mountain warfare role was dropped. However, Brigadier Barclay’s calm and patience throughout this time helped comfort and set an example to the less patient soldiers.
The Division's patience was finally rewarded in October 1944 when they were dispatched to Belgium in preparation for the attack on South Beveland. It was evident immediately that Barclay had prepared his division extremely well for battle:
“Everyone left his presence knowing exactly what he was expected to do, confident that he would receive all possible assistance in doing it and that the men under his command would have a fair fighting chance”
Brigadier Barclay handed over command of the 156 Brigade in March 1945 and retired from the regiment in 1946. After his retiral, Barclay continued to maintain strong links with the regiment and threw himself into a writing career. As well as the 3rd Volume of the Regimental History, he wrote nine other regimental or divisional histories and five campaign studies, including an account of the Battle of Hastings ‘Battle 1066’ which was very highly praised in literary circles.His most recognisable writing work was done as Editor of the 'Army Quarterly and Defence Journal' from 1950 to 1966, when he was credited with increasing circulation in the face of a rapid reduction in the size of the armed forces.
Brigadier Barclay died in January 1979.
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Text and Images copyright South Lanarkshire Museums Service.