Wilfred Barnard & Agnes Clark

Time Line:Crem: 6 Feb 1953, Northern Suburbs Crematorium, Sydney

Entered Otaki School 23 May 1894 (his last school Rakaia) and left for Wellington 21 May 1897 - at Mt Cook Boys 1898

1911 Src NZ Gazette 1911: Wilfred Barnard Clark - Hikurangi - included in a list of people appointed to be the Deputies of the Registrars of Marriages and of Births and Deaths for the districts set respectively opposite their names, viz: Wilfred Burnard Clark ..... Hikurangi

1912 Clerk Railway

1918 NZ Gazette - Military Callup - Clerk Epsom

Transcribed from tape by James Barnard (Waiheke Is): Wilfred was an adventurous sort of a chap. We used to play around together - he was a bit older than I and we were two naughty boys. He cleared off to Australia - he was working on the railways in NZ and could see no future in it so went to Australia and up to the Northern Territory. A man named Gilruth was the Commissioner up there in those days. The only job he could get was pick and shovel work and that wasn't in Wilfred's line at all - he wanted something better than that. When the Boxer Rebellion broke out in China and the Manchurian War commenced, he headed up there. He got a job on the Mukden Railways in Manchuria, initially as a guard but ended up being the Manager.

Chang So-Lin, one of the three most influential people in China at that time, appointed him as Manager of the railways. However, Wilfred needed an Engineer so he advertised world-wide and appointed a man named ELDER. This man came out to China with his wife, a son and a daughter. The son became Assistant Engineer and Wilfred ultimately married the daughter.

I think he must have still been in China when the Japanese invaded  - there was an important battle in Mukden in the closing stages of this war. The Japanese also invaded Manchuria in 1931.

He supposedly retired to Peking and was appointed by the young Chinese Marshall (Chang So-Lin's son) to invest 10 million gold crowns in America. James Barnard (Waiheke) saw him in NZ on his way to the States - he came to NZ to see his parents. He took them for a tour around NZ in the biggest Cadillac he could find - it was many years since he'd seen his parents.

He then went off to America, presumably to invest the Chinese money. He also apparently had a big interest in the silk business in China and had practically the control of the importation into Australia where he established a company to handle all the Chinese silk. The last James Barnard heard of Wilfred and his brother (Leonard) who joined him in the business was that they were working in Australia.

1936 Electoral Roll -Parramata Subdivision of  Turramurra - Wilfred Barnard Clark - 1558 Pacific Highway, Wahroonga, Retired; Agnes Henderson same address, domestic duties;

1944 - Retired Railway Administrator Hugh was the informant for his father's death. At that time, he was living at 545 Great North Road, Abbotsford. Wilfred was 67 years old when he died.

1953 Occ: Railway Employee

IS the Will of WILFRED BARNARD CLARK late of Dobroyd Point In the State of New South Wiles Gentleman deceased Application will  be made after 14 days from the tublli-atlon hereof that Probate of the last Will and Testament dated 12th ulv 1151 of the above named deceased may be granted to Agnes Henderson Clark the sole Executrix named In the will and all notices may be served at the undermentioned address All creditors In the Fstate of the deceased are hereby required to send in particulars of th«lr claims to the undersigned AITKEN &. PLUCK