Forum for former BBC staff

Forum for former BBC staff
http://www.ex-bbc.net/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl >> Notices, obituaries and tributes >> Robert Williams http://www.ex-bbc.net/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1042567040 Message started by Forum Admin on Jan 14^th, 2003, 5:58pm

Title: Robert Williams
Post by Forum Admin on Jan 14^th, 2003, 5:58pm

Bob Williams, a very popular and long-time presenter of the PM programme on Radio Four, died today (Tuesday January 14th).

I understand Bob had been in pretty good health recently but died of a heart attack.

Title: Re: Robert Williams
Post by Forum Admin on Jan 30^th, 2003, 5:09pm

There was a large turnout for Bob's funeral on Monday, February 27th, at his home village of Seething in Norfolk.

There were personal memories of Bob from Peter Mayne, Peter Gallimore, Susannah Simons, Martin Cox and Jenny Abramsky. Peter Donaldson read poems by Dylan Thomas, Wordsworth and Yeats.

Martin Cox pointed out Bob was the only BBC reporter to have been hurt in the Northern Ireland Troubles, when he was hit on the head by a piece of paving stone, while covering a Protestant riot. This left him deaf in one ear and ended his career "on the road".

Jenny Abramsky described how numerous colleagues had written in, recalling Bob's many acts of personal kindness. She read out a message from Nicholas Jones, former Industrial and Political correspondent, who said that from a professional point of view, Bob was a marvellous presenter, who understood perfectly how to tease out what the listener needed to hear.

For anyone wishing to make a donation in his memory, Bob's favourite charities were The Red Cross and Amnesty.

Robert Lindsay Williams, 1934-2003