Robert Barrington-Ward

Robert McGowan Barrington-Ward (1891–1948) was an English barrister, journalist, and editor of *The Times* from 1941 until his death in 1948. Born in Cornwall, he was the fourth son of a rector and school inspector. He attended Westminster School as a King's Scholar and Balliol College, Oxford, where he became president of the Oxford Union Society. After graduating with a Third Class in Greats in 1913, he pursued law but also worked freelance for *The Times* before joining the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry during World War I. He served in France and Belgium, earning the DSO, MC, and Bar, and was wounded twice.

After the war, Barrington-Ward joined *The Observer* but returned to *The Times* in 1921. By 1941, he succeeded Geoffrey Dawson as editor, shifting the paper’s editorial stance to the left. He supported the wartime government while reserving the right to critique specific policies, such as British troop deployment to Greece in 1944. During his tenure, he maintained close contact with Winston Churchill and other wartime leaders.

Barrington-Ward’s health declined in early 1947, and after a lengthy break, he died of malaria aboard the MV *Llangibby Castle* in Dar es Salaam harbor in January 1948. He was buried onshore in Tanganyika. His editorial approach prioritized policy over business, reflecting his transition from Tory democrat to Labour supporter after World War I.