Richard Williams

Richard and I worked together in Bonn in the mid-1980s. He was a fine colleague to have in a bureau, fun to be with and, for all his cynicism, someone who cared a great deal about Reuters, its people and its journalism. As Richard's untimely obituary noted, he and Victoria Barrett were a formidable negotiating team for the NUJ. As importantly, they were also a formidable duo as features editors. Between them, they kept a valuable service alive during some dark times when writing a feature story was regarded by some in senior management as most unsound. It is immeasurably sad that he will not savour his retirement. ■