John Barry Elliott

John Barry Elliott (1933 – 2024), always known as Barry, was born in Conisbrough, Yorkshire. He and his elder brother Peter grew up without a father (Douglas), who died shortly after he was born. When young, they and their mother (Laura) lived with her parents, Ernest and Laura.

He attended Lord Wandsworth College in Hampshire followed by National Service, during which he was taught Russian. He then made a living from Russian/English translation and taught briefly at RAF Cranwell near Lincoln. His next move was to the US Air Force Historical Research Institute based in Bad Soden, Germany, then the Institute for the Study of the USSR in Munich.

On his return to England he joined the BBC Listening Station in Caversham before moving on to the BBC World Service. His final position was as Head of the Central European and Finnish Service.

Barry met his first wife, Catherine Bryner, in 1961 and they married in 1960. They had a daughter Caroline, known as Kerry. In 1967 he married his second wife, Wendy Tarleton, who already had a daughter, Robin and together they had Heather. Barry later married Kathy Dunn, in 1981, and their daughter is Lydia.

Barry was always a very keen potter and allotment user. In his retirement, he became quite a figure in Hampstead and Highgate, north London, where he loved to walk, chatting to local people as he went.

The Order of Service booklet and the tribute together cover Barry’s life story in greater depth.