Fred J. Barnes

Fred J. Barnes (born Frederick Johnson Barnes, 8 January 1873, Southwark, Central London; died 30 December 1917) was an English songwriter who appeared on Broadway and collaborated extensively with co-writers R. P. Weston and Fred Godfrey.

Barnes made his Broadway appearance in 1906, performing in the musical The District Leader. Around the same period, he began a songwriting partnership with R. P. Weston that lasted until approximately 1915, during which the two produced material primarily for the music hall performer Billy Williams. Among the songs Barnes and Weston wrote together were "Little Willie's Woodbines" in 1908, "I've Got Rings On My Fingers" in 1909, and "When Father Papered the Parlour" in 1910. Their 1911 collaboration "Hush Here Comes the Dream Man," recorded by Florrie Forde, later gained additional recognition when First World War soldiers adapted it as "Hush Here Comes a Whizzbang," and it was subsequently performed in the Theatre Workshop production of Oh, What a Lovely War! in 1963. Barnes also collaborated with Fred Godfrey on songs including "Jim's A Funny Fellow When He's Had A Few," written around 1911.

Barnes enlisted for military service during the First World War and joined the Essex Regiment. He died on 30 December 1917, when the troop carrier HMT Aragon was struck by a torpedo off the coast of Alexandria, Egypt, and he drowned in the attack. He is buried at the Alexandria War Memorial Cemetery. Barnes is distinct from the singer Frederick Jester Barnes (1885–1938), who performed under the name Fred Barnes and was known for the song "You Can't Fool Around With The Women," composed by Fred Godfrey and Bennett Scott.