Barraclough, Samuel Henry Egerton
Born in Sydney, Barraclough was educated at Swansea College (1883-1885), Sydney High School (1885-1889), the University of Sydney (1889-1891) where he graduated as Bachelor of Engineering (BE) with first class honours in 1892,and Sibley College of Engineering at Cornell University (1892-1894) from which he graduated as Master of Mechanical Engineering (MME). Barraclough's studies in the USA were supported by a Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 Science Research Scholarship.
On returning to Australia, Barraclough accepted an appointment in 1895 as lecturer in charge of the Department of Physics at Sydney Technical College. In 1897, the University of Sydney appointed Barraclough to the position of Assistant Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering and Drawing; this position was funded by the Peter Nicol Russell (PNR) endowment. In 1903, he was appointed to the P N R Lectureship in Mechanism and Applied Thermodynamics, in
1905 to the P N R lectureship in Mechanical Engineering. At its meeting on 7 December 1908, the Senate agreed to Barraclough's application for change in status to Assistant Professor.
In 1915, the University offered Barraclough the P N R Chair of Mechanical Engineering. In addition, Barraclough became Director of the Kolling Research Laboratory within the Department of Mechanical Engineering from its establishment in 1925 until his retirement in 1941, Fellow of the University Senate (1925-1933, 1944-1954), and Dean of the Faculty of Engineering (1925-1933, 1936-1941).
From 1907 to 1915, Barraclough taught military engineering for the University's Department of Military Science.
During his term of employment as an academic at the University of Sydney, Barraclough worked as a consulting engineer for various Australian, State and Local Government and non-government organisations. In 1915, he visited India, Egypt, France and Britain to report to the Australian Government on munitions. Between 1916 and 1919, he was employed by the Australian Government Defence Department as officerincharge of Australians working in the manufacture of munitions in Britain; in 19191920, he was given full responsibility for the repatriation of 8000 munitions and war workers to Australia. His initial commission with the Australian Military Forces was in 1899 with the Corps of Engineers; he resigned in 1920.
Honorary appointments included one-time President of the Institution of Engineers Australia, the Engineering Association of New South Wales, and the University of Sydney Engineering Club. He was a member of the Sydney Technical College Advisory Council and the Sydney Technological Museum Advisory Committee.
Barraclough married Mona Edith Rossiter in 1927; they had no children. His numerous awards included Cornell University Fellowship in 1894, CBE Military Division in 1919, KBE in 1920, Volunteer Decoration of the Colonial Auxiliary Force (VD) in 1920, Kings Jubilee Medal in 1935, and Peter Nicol Russell Medal of the Institution of Engineers Australia in 1939.