Major Alan Harold Barnes died on Thursday 28 September, a week after his 98th birthday, at his home surrounded by friends and family.
The D-Day veteran, who was a much-loved husband to Betty (90) for 71 years, served in Africa, Italy and France, among other countries, and was last year awarded the Légion d’Honneur – the highest French military honour.
He was well known for working at his father’s business, Barnes Garage, and for his support for motor racing in the Island. He is believed to be the only person to have taken footage of the international motor race which took place in Jersey in 1952.
Major Barnes was father to Ian and Juliet, father-in-law to Bernadette and William and grandfather to Emma, Jonny, Chris, Dominic and Ed, as well as a great-grandfather.
His son, Ian, said that his father gave up driving only last year and always had a love of cars. ‘He was destined to go into the family garage business,’ he said. ‘Due to the shortage of vehicles on the Island under German Occupation, especially the Bedford trucks which were popular with farmers, my father managed to persuade Vauxhall Motors to put them on an export quota and in 1947 and 1948 they sold over 500 trucks.’
After serving as a major during the Second World War with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Major Barnes joined the family business.
Between 1947 and 1952 the Island held the Jersey International Road Races, which ran along Victoria Avenue from West Park to Bel Royal and back along St Aubin’s Inner Road.
In 1947, he was asked by the organisers of the International Road Races – the equivalent of Formula 1 today – to operate one of the pits on Victoria Avenue.
Major Barnes used 8-mm cine film to record the road races, which Ian has now digitised and converted to DVD format. He believes that his father was the only person to have footage of the 1952 race.
The funeral is due to be held on Tuesday at the Crematorium Chapel, Westmount Road, at 2.30 pm.
The family has requested that donations, in lieu of flowers, be sent to Family Nursing & Home Care or Jersey Hospice Care.
