Richard George Barnes was born on the 13th of February 1894, and was the fourth son of Elizabeth and Richard Barnes. There was a large age gap between Richard and his older brothers, with a decade separating him and his next youngest brother Alfred. Richard was of English heritage and was brought up in the Lutheran Church thanks to his mother. Richards’s father worked as a steam bender in Galt. Richard attended Central Public School and he later worked as a clerk. While Richard listed himself as a widower on his attestation papers, he did not name his deceased wife.
Richard volunteered for the Canadian Military on September 23rd 1915 at the age of 20. Richard fought during the Second Battle of Ypres. On May 23rd 1915, while digging a service line in Festubert, an enemy shell killed Private Richard Barnes and four other soldiers. Private Richard George Barnes was buried behind a trench at Festubert and is commemorated at the Vimy Memorial in France. Barnes St in Cambridge is named after Richard Barnes, George Barnes, and RJ Barnes who all fought in the First World War.
Service number: 21343
“Canadian Virtual War Memorial: Richard George Barnes,” Veterans Affairs Canada, accessed March 15, 2015, http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial/detail/1564989?Richard%20George%20Barnes
