ON Tuesday, June 30, I attended a simple, sincere and heartfelt celebration of the long and fulfilled life of my good friend William (Billy) Hall at Walton Hall Crematorium. The sunshine reflected the occasion, although I was told his beloved wife Alice would have liked a few drops of rain to show the angels were crying too.

I first met Bill at the Penketh branch of the Labour Party.

Straight away I was struck by his shrewd intelligence and warm humour. Bill worked tirelessly for the branch, leafleting, canvassing and collecting the returns from polling stations.

He represented the branch at constituency level and served as a school governor and parish councillor.

He could never be persuaded to stand as a councillor for either the borough or the county as success would have meant spending time away from Alice and his family.

This was a pity, as he would have been a formidable operator. He certainly did not stint in his support at branch level which I was privileged to receive when serving as a borough councillor from 1991.

He still came out leafleting with me at the age of 80, showing a great turn of speed when surprised by one of the biggest alsatian dogs I have ever seen.

Billy’s loyalty to Alice and his family was very much influenced by his service in the RAF during Second World War.

He trained as both a pilot and a navigator and the RAF were most surprised to find that they had a recruit, who was a coach painter by trade, outscoring university graduates in the navigation test.

Billy had a real love and talent for maths which continued throughout his life.

He served as a navigator on Lancaster bombers and finished his service working in the control tower.

The one anecdote which stands out for me is how Billy and the rest of his crew survived a direct hit from an anti-aircraft gun.

The shell passed through the wing but did not explode. On their return to base they were informed they owed their lives to a slave labourer who had sabotaged the shell.

As Bill was married with a child, he really resented the forced separation from his loved ones caused by the war, although he also said his other beef with Hitler was that the war prevented him from becoming a professional ballroom dancer.

He also had a great memory for birthdays. Billy was a father figure to many of us, providing sage advice and insights at our weekly meetings at Penketh Sports and Leisure Club.

I remember the hours Billy and Albert Lee spent collecting and delivering basic supplies to the families of miners during the strike.

Billy and Alice were inseparable and he never quite got over her passing after a long illness.

He showed great courage following his own cancer diagnosis and continued to live as independently as he could until a few weeks ago.

He will be sorely missed by his family and friends.

I will remember Bill as a foot soldier for Labour and as a prince among men.

PAUL LANGFORD Widnes