Barry Sergeant – pictured with former Bailiff Sir Philip Bailhache – demonstrates his infectious laugh on the occasion of his retirement from the Judicial Greffe

A MAN who dedicated over 20 years of his life to ensuring that the administration of justice in the Island ran smoothly died last month aged 70.

Barry Sergeant was Assistant Judicial Greffier from 1985 until his retirement in April 2005.
Born in Southport in Lancashire, Mr Sergeant was the son of Roy and Ruth Sergeant and was educated at Harrow and Queen’s College at Cambridge, where he read modern languages and gained a degree in Japanese.

After joining the Foreign Office he worked in the British Embassy in Tokyo and, on his return to Britain, he was the keeper of Japanese books at Cambridge University before taking up a translation post in California.

He moved to the Island for family reasons in the 1960s after his parents retired here.
Mr Sergeant held teaching posts at St George’s School and at Moorestown before joining the civil service.

In the early days as Assistant Judicial Greffier he was responsible for providing advice on procedure and administration for the Royal Court and the Court of Appeal.

Fluent in French, he was always ready to share his knowledge and explain complex procedure to those who sought his assistance.

After the roles were split, he specialised in providing support to the Court of Appeal judges as well as to the legal profession, States departments and members of the public in relation to that court.

For his services to the administration of justice in the Island, Mr Sergeant was made a member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2005 New Year’s Honour’s List.

At that time, he told the JEP that he believed that the Island was very well served by the Court of Appeal judges, some of whom had gone on to become Lord Chief Justices, Master of the Rolls, High Court Judges and Masters of Oxford and Cambridge colleges.
The Jersey Evening Post extends sympathy to his family and friends.

Barry Sergeant – pictured with former Bailiff Sir Philip Bailhache (right), Viscount Mike Wilkins (left) and other colleagues on the occasion of his retirement from the Judicial Greffe

Appreciation
BARRY Sergeant, who died on 15 January 2010, was educated at Harrow and Cambridge, where he specialised in Japanese.

He joined the Foreign Service and worked in the British Embassy in Tokyo and later joined a joint British/American centre in California. He loved the Japanese language and culture and showed this in the liveliness which was his trademark in the company of his friends.

Barry’s life changed when his parents moved to Jersey in about 1965. His father was soon afflicted with Alzheimer’s and his mother developed severe osteoporosis. Barry then moved to Jersey to look after his parents. His father died a few years later, and he nursed his mother for about 13 years until her death.

Barry, though not a lawyer, had started work at the Judicial Greffe, and now began a remarkable period of devoted work as the Assistant Judicial Greffier for the Court of Appeal. Nothing was ever too much for Barry and every request was fulfilled at lightning speed.

Meanwhile he was caring for his bed-ridden mother, helping her in the morning, dashing early to work, working at a high pace, returning to help her in the evening, and often going back to work in the Greffe before reaching his own bed at all hours. No one could have been kinder to their parents, or could have done more to alleviate their physical and mental troubles. What Barry might have achieved if he had not turned to caring for his elderly parents can only be guessed at.

Much of the work of the Court of Appeal depends on organisation and preparation. Sittings have to be fixed, arrangements made for non-residential judges to attend, and papers – often voluminous – prepared, copied and distributed. All this was Barry’s responsibility as Assistant Judicial Greffier.

He acted in consultation with the senior non-resident judge. The two authors of this article held this position in succession for many years, so had the best opportunity to appreciate and admire Barry’s strong and well-trained intellect and his complete devotion to the work of the court. The result was that the material in an appeal coming on for a hearing was in perfect order and the task of the court in hearing and deciding it was much facilitated. Barry’s recitation of the prayers in French at the opening of a court sitting was remarkable and a delight to hear.

He retired in 2005, and the mainspring of his life ran down a little. His health became worse and though he loved long walks (one summer walking with one of us on the hills of Kerry) his feet could no longer sustain this. He turned to swimming and to helping the young of Jersey in competition swimming. He died suddenly of cancer, which he had ignored until it was too late.

Barry was as kind as any man could be; generous with his time and his efforts for others almost to a fault. He was deeply private, refusing even to allow a eulogy at his funeral, but at a party, when not under pressure of work, as lively as any.

The judges particularly enjoyed their dinners with him at which his infectious gentle laugh, his obvious interest in everyone and in the interests of others made him excellent company.

He was absolutely loyal to this Island, its courts, its judges and its government. On the day he received, from the Queen, the honour of an MBE, he came from the Palace to lunch with Robert Harman QC and one of us. He was thrilled by his own award, and thrilled too that at the same ceremony a Victoria Cross was presented to a serving soldier; his enthusiasm for this was more than infectious.

We shall remember Barry as a man who inconspicuously contributed so much to the lives of others, and bore life’s vicissitudes without complaint. On behalf of all the judges who worked with Barry, we hope his life and work will be remembered with much gratitude.
Sir Godfray Le Quesne QC
Richard Southwell QC