I attended the All Saints Church in Oakham to Bill’s Funeral Service.The Church was very nearly full, and it’s a big church. There were people there from every part of Bill’s life, from his childhood in Liverpool, his evacuation during WW2 and his return afterwards. He left Liverpool after school and went to the US where he spent a couple of years before coming back to UK and being called up for National Service.

One of his first overseas postings was to Steamer Point and after that he went to many places, finishing up with promotion to Warrant Officer (which he quaintly called ‘getting his gallopers’) He left after two months as WO, and went into the textile industry for a number of years. He then joined the Prison Service in the Catering branch. He must have got an idea about prison food from his time in the mess on Chapel Hill !

We were told that his nose was broken as a result of an altercation in a brothel in Aden. (Were there really any brothels there ?)

His record in running the 100yds still stands as the RAF record, but this is possibly because just after he set it, it altered to become the 100 metres. Bill spent much time locally in Public Service on the local Council and a couple of years ago had the honour of attending Buckingham Palace where he and Maureen met the Queen. At this time he was wheelchair bound but later recovered a good deal. We followed his coffin from the church to the strains of ‘Swing low, sweet Chariot’ ,but without the actions !

Afterwards, I was introduced to Maureen his wife, by a friend. I’d never met her before but I’d been told all about her. She knew of me throughTony and thanked me for coming to represent you all and for the flowers which had contained Snowdrops (a private RAFP matter of which you Redcaps know little!) The Wake was held at a local Golf Club at which we all spent a couple of hours reminiscing and I finally left at about 3 o’clock. Idon’t doubt that Maureen (who none of us have ever met), would be pleased to hear from any of us when things have settled down.

Malcolm