ROBERT SIDNEY BARCLAY
Director/Trustee
Robert S. Barclay ca. 1920
Robert "Bob" Sidney Barclay was born July 22, 1892, in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland. He died February 24, 1961, in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. His father was Andrew Duncan Barclay (1867–1908), and his mother was Elizabeth Brown Barclay (née McNair, 1869–1953).
Though he couldn't recall much of his early childhood in Kilmarnock, Robert Barclay remembered attending grammar school with his siblings and that he was "always dressed in the Highland costume." In his early teens, he moved between Kilmarnock and the nearby town of Darvel. Here, he learned lace weaving and subsequently was employed making mosquito nets for the British government until January 1917, when he was drafted into military service due to World War I.
Robert S. Barclay in his Scottish Rifles uniform during WWI. Photo taken in 1917 before he was sent to France.
Life in America
Barclay emigrated to the United States in September 1921 and settled in Salt Lake City, Utah, to be near other members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which he had joined prior to WWI. In 1922, Primary Children's Hospital opened in Salt Lake City, and Barclay found employment as a custodian. Throughout his career at the hospital, he became popular among the young patients and was known to sing Scottish ballads to the children, who often called him "Big Robert." It was also here that he met a woman named Jane Dougan (1901–1944). They married in 1923 and had four children together: Robert "Bob" (1924–1961), Mary (1926–2011), David "Dave" (1929–2005), and Juanita "Nita" (1932–2023).
A native of Utah, Dougan was the daughter of English-born James Dougan (1869–1949). He was a skilled musician on the Northumbrian bagpipes and won first prize for best piper at the Queen's Jubilee at age 15. He had been taught to play by his father, Robert Dougan (1829–1898), who played the Highland pipes. Though originally from Kilsyth, Scotland, Robert Dougan had moved to Northumberland, England, where he became proficient at both playing and making Northumbrian bagpipes and reeds. He was eventually employed as the piper for the Duke of Northumberland.
World War I Service
During the war, Barclay was assigned to the Scottish Rifles infantry regiment and was at the Battle of Arras in France. At daybreak on April 9, 1917, his regiment
emerged from their trenches to advance on enemy positions (known as going "over the top") when he was seriously wounded by German gunfire. After recuperating in England, he was again drafted for military service and was assigned to the Royal Scots infantry regiment; however, because of persisting medical issues from being wounded in Arras, he was transferred to serve in the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) rather than being returned to the battlefield. He worked at the First Birmingham War Hospital until WWI ended in November 1918. His younger brother, John Barclay, was wounded earlier that year while assigned to the Gordon Highlanders infantry unit and died from his wounds in April 1918.
After the War, Barclay remained in the RAMC and was assigned to work in various hospitals, including the mental ward at Tidworth Military Hospital in Wiltshire, England. While in this position, he traveled throughout the British Isles, transporting soldiers suffering from PTSD (then known as "shell shock") and wounds. He continued this work until being discharged from military service as a corporal in May 1921. By the time of his discharge, he had worked in a total of eight military hospitals. He later joined the Canadian Legion of the British Empire Service League (now known as The Royal Canadian Legion), an organization that was dedicated to the recognition and advocacy of Canadian and British WWI veterans.
Jane Dougan Barclay (left); her father, James Dougan (middle); and her grandfather, Robert Dougan (right).
Robert Barclay loved the annual Covered Wagon Days celebrations in Salt Lake City, today known as "Pioneer Day" (Pioneer Day is a state holiday in Utah celebrated annually on July 24th in recognition of the arrival of the Latter-day Saints or "Mormon" pioneers to the Salt Lake Valley). As part of the festivities, McAuliffe's Kiltie Pipe Band from Rock Springs, Wyoming, used to perform in the big parade in downtown Salt Lake City. As Barclay was always thinking about the welfare of the patients at Primary Children's hospital, he would arrange for the pipe band to play for the them at the hospital after the parade. He also enjoyed interacting with the "other Scotch folks" he met in the band.
With the help of his brother in Scotland, Barclay acquired a set of bagpipes from the "land of the heather" in 1937 and gave them to his eldest son, Robert Barclay, who would later become the pipe major of the Utah Pipe Band (UPB). The younger Robert Barclay's instructors were his Grandfather (James Dougan) and Angus Craig. Like Barclay, Craig was one of the first directors and trustees of the UPB.
The children of Robert and Jane Barclay wearing the Royal Stewart tartan. L–R: David, Mary, Juanita, and Robert
The Utah Pipe Band & Later Life
As a cofounder of the UPB in 1937, the elder Robert Barclay was enthusiastic about supporting the band. Each of Barclay's children—Robert, Mary, David, and Juanita—took part in the band by bagpiping and dancing. His wife, Jane, sewed uniforms for the children and other band members. Barclay had a kilt from Scotland that had belonged to his brother, John Barclay (who had been killed during WWI), which Jane used as a template for sewing kilts. David went on to become the pipe major of the UPB and was passionate about the band for the rest of his life. He left behind him a legacy of Utah bagpipers, with multiple descendants serving as pipe majors.
Jane Barclay passed away unexpectedly in 1944. In 1949, Robert Barclay married Dorothy Melba Simpson (1912–2002), a fellow employee at Primary Children's Hospital. Barclay became the hospital's maintenance superintendent, and Simpson became the supervisor of medical records.
Barclay passed away in 1961 at the age of 68. Over the years, many of his descendants have played and continue to take part in piping, drumming, and dancing in the UPB.