Prof Les Barclay OBE, G3HTF, 31 July 2019

Professor Les W Barclay G3HTF died on 31 July 2019 at the age of 85.

He had a very long and distinguished career in radio science and made significant contributions to the RSGB especially in its studies on radio wave propagation.

In 1993, Professor Barclay received the ITU Silver Medal for his chairmanship of the first Radiocommunication Assembly. ITU-R Study Group 3 unanimously elected him as Honorary Chairman on 24 May 2019 in recognition of his significant contributions to the ITU.

Other awards included an Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) Lifetime Achievement Award for his work in radio wave propagation, the OBE in 1994 for services to radio communication, the Polar Medal for his propagation research in the Antarctic, the IGY Gold Award in 2007 and he was a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and the IET.

Professor Barclay was the author of more than 50 internationally recognised technical publications in the field of radio communications and delivered many lectures at UK universities, the International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, and as part of the series of IEE residential courses on radio wave propagation.

He was a corresponding member of the Propagation Studies Committee and his knowledge and wisdom will be sorely missed.

Tribute by Steve Nichols, G0KYA

Les once gave a terrific talk at our club on his Antarctic work in the 1957 IGY as he once was a Marconi chap too

www.g0mwt.org.uk/meetings/past11-jan-march/  –   Feb-2011

Most recently he was providing IARU with some advice last year on propagation models, which had been one of the more contentious issues on the current 50 MHz topic for WRC-19.

Farewell to a vastly experienced chap.

Murray Niman, G6JYB
Chair, RSGB Spectrum Forum

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) published an obituary of Prof Barclay here.

The Guardian also published an obituary of Prof Barclay, written by his son.

Category: Silent Keys