Obituary: Richard Williams

Editors noted he was calm under fire and colleagues said he was someone you could always turn to for help, whether it was personal or work-related. Richard later worked as a chief sub-editor on the Features Desk and World Desk, as well as going on fireman assignments that included the fall of the Berlin Wall. He was duty editor on the night the US-led war in Afghanistan began in late 2001 and won praise for his usual calm and quiet handling of the story.

Underscoring his popularity with colleagues, Richard was elected deputy head of the Reuters Chapel of the National Union of Journalists for many years. He and Chapel head Victoria Barrett formed a formidable negotiating team that was respected by management.

Born in the Merseyside town of Wallasey, Richard went on to obtain a MA in History at Glasgow University and joined Reuters as a graduate trainee. He was fluent in French and German and had a good working knowledge of Russian, Spanish and Afrikaans. His dry and wry wit lightened many a day, and the words “loathsome creature” would trip off his tongue whenever he spotted anyone trumpeting how good they were to superiors or riding roughshod over colleagues. For Richard, Reuters was all about quiet team-work.

The funeral took place at the crematorium in Colwyn Bay, north Wales on 24 February. A memorial gathering is planned in London in the near future for Richard's Reuters colleagues and will be attended by representatives of his family. Donations can be made to Richard's favourite charity: Amnesty International UK, The Human Rights Action Centre, 17-25 New Inn Yard, London EC2A 3EA, +44 20 7033 1500.

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