Nicky Barr
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Andrew William Barr or Nicky Barr OBE, DFC & bar, MC (December 10, 1915 – June 12, 2006) was a former member of the Australian national rugby union team and Australian World War II hero.
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[edit] Rugby Player
Barr was born in 1915 and grew up in Victoria playing Australian rules football. After school, he switched to rugby union playing for Victoria as a flanker. In 1939, he was selected for the Wallaby tour of the United Kingdom as a hooker even though it was not his normal position. However, the tour was cancelled less than a day after the team arrived in the UK due to the outbreak of World War II. He joined the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and captained the Queensland RAAF rugby union team in 1940 and 1941.
[edit] War Hero
In 1941, Barr went to North Africa where he reached the rank of Squadron Leader of No. 3 Squadron RAAF. He shot down 12 enemy planes in 12 months. In one fortnight, he flew 20 missions. Barr was shot down on three occasions. On one occasion, he was helped by the Senussi in Libya and returned behind Allied lines. [1] On the last time, he was captured by the Italians and taken back to Italy for hospital treatment.
Barr tried to escape four times. On the fourth time, he joined a Special Airborne Operations commando group gathering intelligence behind enemy lines. He also helped people escape over the Apennine mountains along the so-called Alpine route. Barr eventually made it through this route to freedom. When he rejoined the Allied ranks, he was sent to a military hospital in Vasto as he weighed only 55 kilograms and was in poor physical condition. For his exploits, Barr received a Military Cross, a DFC and Bar and an Order of the British Empire. [1]
[edit] After World War II
After the war, Barr went back to his wife Dorothy. They had been married for a few weeks when he left for the war and she had been told on three occasions that her husband was dead. (2)
Peter Dornan published a book about Barr's wartime heroism titled Nicky Barr: Air Ace in 2002. Barr died in June 2006, a few months after his wife.
[edit] References
- Melbourne Age, "Reluctant Hero", 25 April 2002 The Culture Section page 1 retrieved through EBSCO's Australia New Zealand database June 15 2006]
[edit] External Links
- BARR, ANDREW WILLIAM Service Record
- Recommendation for Andrew Barr to be awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross
- Recommendation for Andrew William Barr to be awarded a Bar to Distinguished Flying Cross
- Recommendation for Andrew William Barr to be awarded a Military Cross
[edit] Footnotes
(1) Melbourne Age Op Cit.
(2) Melbourne Age Ibid
