REMEMBERING THE FALLEN OF WW1

Born in Liverpool on 02/05/1883.

His parents were Sir James Barr(25/09/1849-16/11/1938) and Lady Isabella Maria Woolley(1860-22/09/1938).

They were married on 12/07/1882.

Samuel had a brother Dallas(1891-13/06/1891) and a sister Vera Evelyn(08/08/1887-09/06/1974).

 In the 1891 census, the family were recorded as living at 134 St Domingo Grove,Everton,Liverpool.

James was employed as a consulting physician at Liverpool Royal Infirmary.

After studying at Liverpool College, the 1901 census records Samuel as being a Gentleman and Cadet at

Sandhurst Military College.

In the 1911 Irish Census , he was recorded as living at 3 Castlewarden,South Oughterard,Kildare,Ireland,

whilst being a Lieutenant in the Special Reserve.  

De Ruvigny’s Roll of Honour 1914-1918 Volume One Page 21

Gazetted 2nd Lieutenant 3rd Hussars on 18/01/1902 and became Lieutenant on 06/06/1906. He served with his regiment in India and South Africa. Came home on leave in 01/1909 and while on holiday in Switzerland met with an accident, falling down a crevasse, from which his father succeeded in extricating him. They afterwards missed their way, were discovered by a search party of Swiss guides the following morning and brought down in the afternoon. Tudor Barr suffered severely  from frost bite and lost all his toes, nevertheless he re-joined his regiment in South Africa towards the latter part of the year, but finding the work too much for him in the then sensitive condition of his feet, he resigned in 1910.

He then joined the South Irish Horse and being a very keen and successful polo player took a farm and trained polo ponies; this not being a financial success, he retired from the Army in 1912 and went to Rhodesia with the view of settling there.

On the outbreak of war, he at once came home, travelling 10.000 miles at his own expense. He reached England early in October, at once volunteered, and was gazetted Lieutenant on 25/11/1914. He was first engaged training cavalry reserves at Shorncliffe (Gazetted Lieutenant in the 9th Reserve Regiment of Cavalry affiliated to the 3rd Hussars 01/12/1914), then joined the Reserve of his old Regiment, the 3rd Hussars at Rouen (his disembarkation into France had been on 21/12/1914) and from there attached to the 20th Hussars then in the trenches. He was killed in action near Zillebeke on 23/02/1915.

Colonel  Kennedy of the 3rd Hussars wrote” In the old days in India, your son was always in my squadron, and he was a capital officer and one who I am sure, would have been  to the fore of this war, had he been spared. It was bad luck that when he came out, we were full up with officers and this is the reason why he volunteered to go temporarily to the 20th Hussars … You grieve for an only son and we for a brave and gallant comrade.”

And Colonel Edwards, of the 20th Hussars: “Your son had been attached to the 20th Hussars for some two months and did excellent work with us. He was a most energetic and keen officer, and had he been spared would I am sure, have done very well indeed.”

Another officer wrote:” A braver soldier or a truer friend never lived.”

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The Bond of Sacrifice Volume 2 Page 27

 “He was a very good shot and had accounted for many German snipers, but unfortunately he was shot through the head by one of them.

He and a couple of other venturesome spirits had distinguished themselves by their attacks at night on the German trenches with hand grenades with which they caused many casualties.”

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Liverpool Daily Post – Thursday 18 March 1915

 

Liverpool Heroes

 

Lieuts. Madden and Barr.

 

Address by the Bishop

 

 At St Luke’s Church, Liverpool, yesterday, a memorial service was held in reference to two popular officers who fell in the British advance at Neuve Chapelle. Second-Lieutenant Thomas Hylton Madden

(buried at Vieille -Chapelle New Military Cemetery Lacouture  Pas de Calais France – Ref. IX.D.20), of the King’s (Liverpool Regiment), son of the ven. Archdeacon Madden and

Lieutenant Samuel Tudor Barr 3rd K.O. Hussars son of Sir James Barr.

A large congregation was present to pay a tribute to the honoured dead.

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Samuel was awarded the 1914-1915 Star, the 1914-1918 British War and Allied Victory medals.