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Brian Baines Barker
BRIAN Baines Barker, who has died aged 83, was the third generation of his family to be mayor of Morley in the days when it was a proudly independent borough; but in addition to being a councillor – later as a member of Leeds City Council – Brian was well-known for his Punch and Judy shows and his performances in the Christmas pantomimes put on by his local church.
Mildly eccentric, he was perhaps less well-known as a year-round early-morning swimmer.
One of two children, he was the son of Lt Col James Barker and his wife Lucy.
At nine, he was sent to Oatlands Preparatory School in Harrogate from where he went to Uppingham School, Rutland, just before the onset of the Second World War.
By his own admission he was neither exceptional in the classroom nor on the games field, but he was recognised as reliable and dependable, with a love for literature, languages, history and the classic arts.
In 1943 he was called up and joined the Royal Navy, joining HMS Dartmouth, a Class II battle cruiser. He saw active service in the English Channel, the North Atlantic, escorting food convoys from the Americas, and in the Indian Ocean.
After leaving the Navy in 1945, he returned to Morley and took up a degree course in textiles at Leeds University with a view to joining the three-generation family business, Barker Textiles of Deanfield Mills, Morley.
Brian became a director of the firm which enjoyed strong home and export markets for its products – including military great coats and tunics. However, the business declined with the arrival of synthetics in the early 1960s, and later that decade a disastrous fire caused the business to close.
Conscious of his social responsibilities, Brian turned his full attentions to local government where he had already established a formidable reputation as a Conservative town councillor in Morley following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather.
In 1972, aged 47, he became the third generation Barker to be elected mayor of Morley, his father and grandfather having already held that office. In fact he was to be the borough's penultimate mayor, the authority disappearing in the 1974 reorganisation of local government.
Brian was transferred to Leeds City Council and within a year or two was chairman of planning. One of his legacies is the substantial area of free parking in the centre of Morley negotiated with Ken Morrison of supermarket Wm Morrisons for the benefit of all, despite the concerns of other small local independent shopkeepers.
When boundaries were re-shuffled, Brian – shortlisted to be the next Lord Mayor of Leeds – lost the seat which he had held for many years.
One of his favourite recreations by now was walking in the Lake District. After the war his father had purchased "The Reddings" in Far Sawrey, near Windermere, a village to which he had evacuated the rest of the family to escape the war-time bombing.
In 1952 he sold that house and bought the Fellborough Estate, Cunsey, which the family made much use of for holidays and weekend breaks. Brian himself was never happier than when roaming the fells and hills. He conquered all the Lakeland peaks – most of them many times over – and introduced numerous friends to their delights.
St Andrew's, Bruntcliffe, where he had been a regular lifetime worshipper, was of great importance to him. He was church- warden, and later appointed church warden emeritus in recognition of what was described as a "unique record of public service".
He became well known for his appearances in parish pantomimes – always as Widow Twanky or one of The Ugly Sisters - and for his Punch and Judy shows.
He was a trustee and governor of Bruntcliffe High School, patron of the local Scout group, led exchange visits with Morley's twin town, Siegen in Germany, and supported many local and national charities.
A stickler for punctuality and good manners, Brian Barker was courteous, kindly and generous – but when he made up his mind, that was the end of the matter.
He is survived by his sister Heather and nephews John and Richard.
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Weather for Yorkshire
Saturday 26 May 2012
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