Born in
Pontefract, Barstow was educated at Leeds Higher Grade School, then followed his father in becoming an engine driver. Unlike many engine drivers, he chose to join the
National Union of Railwaymen (NUR), and from 1906 he worked full-time as a clerk at the union's headquarters. In 1913, he was promoted to become a departmental manager at the union, then in 1934 became its office manager. Barstow stood unsuccessfully in
Barrow-in-Furness at the
1935 United Kingdom general election. and made his
maiden speech during the War Situations Debate on 25 February 1942. ==References==