Douglas Stanton "Doug" Barrie

1922 - 2009  (87 years)

• Name	Douglas Stanton "Doug" Barrie
  Born	1922  [1, 2, 3, 4]
  Gender	Male
  Interesting	military, story
  Military	WW2  [1]
  Eby ID Number	Waterloo-408537
  Died	29 Nov 2009	, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [1, 2, 3, 4]
  Buried	2 Dec 2009	Woodland Cem., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [2, 4]
  Person ID	I408537	Generations
  Last Modified	12 May 2024

  
  

  Father	Colonel Ernest George Barrie,   b. 6 Oct 1893, North Dumfries Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 21 Oct 1989, Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 96 years)
  Mother	Ruth Marie Stewart,   b. 4 Jan 1897, Perth, Drummond Twp., Lanark Co., Ontario ,   d. 1971  (Age 73 years)
  Married	14 Sep 1921	Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [5]
  Family ID	F33966	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Talma M. Williams,   b. 1924, Cardiff, , Glamorgan, Wales ,   d. 2016  (Age 92 years)
  Married	CALC 1945
  Children	1. Brian Barrie   2. Michael Barrie   3. Kevin Donald Barrie,   b. 1951,   d. 2015  (Age 64 years)
  Last Modified	13 May 2024
  Family ID	F268338	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  Veteran shared stories of regiment he loved Highland Fusiliers had one last chance to laud highest-ranking officer, decorated soldier By Greg Mercer, Record staff - Kitchener He took bullets and shrapnel, crawled on his belly through France and preserved the memories of the men who never made it back home. And when it was time to go, Doug Barrie spent his final night just the way he would have wanted, telling stories of his beloved Highland Light Infantry, surrounded by family and fellow infantrymen and the soldiers he led into battle decades ago. Decorated war veteran Barrie, 87, died only hours after giving his presentation to the local regiment's modern incarnation, the Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada, during a Feast of St. Andrew celebration. The crowd at the Cambridge armoury saluted him with a standing ovation, and they shared drinks and laughs. On the drive home, he died of a heart attack. "If you had to write a movie script, he wouldn't have done it any differently," said his son Brian Barrie, an Owen Sound lawyer. "It was as if Dad had saved all his energy for this, and when it was done, it was time to go." The Waterloo Regional Record - Nov 2009 His men always looked up to him. - At his death, Barrie was the highest ranking officer of the former Highland Light Infantry. He was the regiment's former commanding officer, and later its honorary lieutenant-colonel, like his father Ernest before him. The military was in his blood. When Barrie charged ashore on D-Day as a 21-year-old lieutenant so many years ago, he was doing what he seemed destined to do when he signed up as a cadet at the age of 16. "He had a love affair with the military," said Owen Lackenbauer, the regiment's current honorary lieutenant-colonel. "His father was his hero, and he wanted to follow in his footsteps." Though after the war Barrie took up the family glove business and later became an officer with Waterloo Trust, the Galt regiment remained his passion. In his later years, Barrie became its historian, compiling memorabilia, personal stories, government archives and his own books. One of those books, Buron Remembered, tells the story of the regiment's bloodiest battle, in Buron, France. Of the 600 men who fought to capture the French town, more than 70 were killed and another 200 wounded. That included Barrie himself who for years after the war suffered headaches until it was discovered a piece of shrapnel was still lodged in his head. He brought home others scars, too, a bullet to the thigh and a wound from a sniper's shot to the hand. Barrie's death is the latest in the dwindling group of local men who first crossed the Atlantic with him and the infantry regiment to fight the Germans. With his death, there are only 14 left. "We've never stopped looking up to him since we've been off the battlefield," said Nelson Hilborn of Cambridge, who was 20 years old when he drove onto a beach in Normandy on D-Day "He was our officer and we followed him. He was a tremendous man. When former members of the HLI were honoured at a recent Kitchener Rangers game, Barrie insisted on walking out onto the ice under his own power. When the regiment's colonel-in-chief Prince Andrew paid a visit a few years ago, he was front and centre, cracking jokes. He's survived by his Welsh born wife of 64 years, Talma, whom he met in England while training for the invasion. They had three sons, Brian, Michael and Kevin, and many more grandchildren and great grandchildren. Visitation and a funeral are planned for Wednesday at Henry Walser Funeral Home. "He helped safeguard our history" Lackenbauer said. "He'll never be forgotten." The Waterloo Regional Record - Nov 2009 Douglas Barrie 1922 - 2009 - Lt Col. Doug Barrie passed away on Sunday November 29, 2009 only hours after receiving a standing ovation for a presentation he made, at the Feast of St. Andrew, to the Regiment he loved (Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada and, formerly, Highland Light Infantry of Canada). Lt. Col. Barrie was a former commanding officer of the HLI of C and Honorary Lt. Col. of the HF of C, like his father before him. Talma, his wife of 64 years, misses Doug dearly. They were inseparable, having met and fallen in love in Britain as he and his brothers-in-arms were training for the D-Day invasion - an event that tied him to his comrades by blood. He will also be missed by his many other family members and friends, including his sister Marjorie Cruickshank. This is not a time for sadness. Doug's children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren celebrated with him in laughter and love in the days preceding his death. Doug could not have scripted a more fitting goodbye for his sons Brian (and wife Helen), Michael (and wife Terry), and Kevin and their families, including six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Friends are invited to join in the celebration of his life at the Henry Walser Funeral Home (507 Frederick St., Kitchener, 519-749-8467) on Wednesday December 2, 2009 with the visitation from 11: 00 a.m. to 12: 45 p.m. and a service in the funeral home chapel at 1: 00 p.m. Reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the War Amps CHAMP Program, cards available at the funeral home. The Waterloo Regional Record - Nov 2009 Local war hero passes away at 87 Doug Barrie, 87, one the few surviving Battle of Buron HLI veterans of the Second World War, died Saturday of a massive heart attack while returning home with his sons and grandsons from the annual Feast of St. Andrew at the Armoury in Cambridge. During the feast he presented wartime memorabilia to the regiment (now known as The Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada) for the unit's museum. Barrie was thrice wounded while a young infantry officer during the Second World War. After the regiment returned to Canada and reverted to reserve status. Barrie reenlisted and subsequently became a lieutenant-colonel and was commanding officer in 1965 when the Kitchener based Scots Fusiliers of Canada and the Highland Light Infantry of Canada (Cambridge) amalgamated. He was appointed Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel of the regiment in 1989, serving in that capacity until 1992. He is survived by his wife, Tal who he married in 1945, three sons, six grandchildren and six great grandchildren. Visitation and Funeral service is Wed. Dec. 2 at the Henry Walser Funeral Home. The Chronicle ran a feature on Barrie's service during the Second World War during our Remembrance Day coverage Nov. 11. Waterloo Chronicle 2 Dec 2009

  
  

• Sources

  [S118] News - ON, Waterloo, Waterloo - Waterloo Chronicle, Local War hero passes away at 87 - 2 Dec 2009. [S74] News - ON, Waterloo, Kitchener - Kitchener-Waterloo Record (1948-1994), Obituary of Doug Barrie - Nov 2009. [S3231] Find A Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/184653682/douglas-barrie. [S3231] Find A Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/200422233/douglas-stanton-barrie. [S2488] aaa Vit - ON - Marriage Registration, marriage certificate 022236 (1921). Name:Ernest George Barrie Age:27 Birth Year:abt 1894 Birth Place:Galt Marriage Date:14 Sep 1921 Marriage Place:Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Father:George R Barrie Mother:Mary Carnick Barrie Spouse:Ruth Marie Stewart

  
  

• Event Map

  Died - 29 Nov 2009 - , Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Buried - 2 Dec 2009 - Woodland Cem., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth