Career
In the post war years he held high command, serving as the British air commander during the Suez War and subsequently the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Transport Command and the Commander of British Forces Cyprus. The New Zealander Barnett was commissioned into the Royal Air Force in 1929. He was appointed Officer Commanding Number.
84 Squadron in 1938 and then served in World World War II taking charge of Number.
40 Squadron in June 1940. He joined the Air Staff at Headquarters Bomber Command in 1941 and then became Station Commander at Royal Air Force Swanton Morley in 1942.
He returned to Bomber Command in June 1943 taking on the roles of Deputy Director of Operations, then Senior Air Staff Officer and finally Director of Operations. After the War he joined the Air Staff in India and then became Commandant of the Central Bomber Establishment in 1949 before becoming Director of Operations at the Air Ministry in 1950.
He became United Kingdom Representative at the United Nations Command Headquarters in Tokyo in 1952, Air Officer Commanding Number.
205 Group in 1954 and Commandant of the Royal Air Force Staff College, Bracknell, in 1956. He returned to the United Kingdom as Air Secretary in 1957. His final appointments were as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Transport Command in 1959 and Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Royal Air Force Near East Air Force (including responsibility for British Forces Cyprus and Administration of the Sovereign Base Areas) in 1962 before retiring in 1964.
In retirement he became Board Member for Weapons Research & Development at the Atomic Energy Authority.