MRCS Eng LRCP Lond 1940; FRCS Edin 1952; FRCS Eng 1953.
After qualifying, Barnes was a house surgeon at MRI before joining the RNVR in 1941. In 1946 he took up general practice. He later held various positions at Crumpsall Hospital and Withington Hospital before being appointed chief assistant to the clinical director at Birmingham Accident Hospital. In 1953 Barnes was appointed SHO at Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital in Oswestry. He later became senior surgical registrar in orthopaedics at MRI before being appointed consultant orthopaedic surgeon and surgeon superintendent of Wrightington Hospital, Wigan in 1959. Barnes was also consultant orthopaedic surgeon for Chorley and District Hospital.