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Bill ran for Thames Hare & Hounds, great rivals of Ranelagh - Thames occupied Wimbledon Common, where I did all my school running, and Ranelagh the adjoining Richmond Park - and throughout the 80's mob matches between the two teams were very close. Thames, for all their numerous Oxbridge alumni, appeared always to be bad on timekeeping, both in terms of starting their races at the alloted 3pm and in recording results (pre computer age), with the consequence that results were always subject to intense scrutiny in the pub afterwards. I remember one year when we were still arguing who won when the bell went for last orders. I made many friends at Thames during these wonderful years and Bill was most definitely one of them.
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Bill and I were of similar standard and had some great battles although I'd have to say that on balance he got the better of me (although not always!). With a sub 50 min pb at 10 miles - the picture shows him in the Woking '10' in 1985 - and a 2.19 marathon to his credit, his running credentials were impressive and would, of course, be even more so with today's poorer standards. My running results database (sad, I know, but useful) records three races won by Bill, an inter-club fixture between Thames, Ranelagh and Cambridge University in '85, a 5000m track race in '86 and the Ranelagh Half Marathon in '92. He would have won other races, although as alluded to already, standards were such that winning races was not easy in those days. We raced each other at numerous mob matches over the years, the last time on Wimbledon Common in November 2009 where over a post race drink he regaled me with some stories from his travels ...
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When I first knew Bill he worked for Shell in central London. Like me he used to train at lunchtimes, usually with Thames team mates Andy Thomas and Phil Gilbert amongst others. I'd usually go out running with Bill Harvey (God, he pushed me hard!) and we'd often see the Thames boys, sometimes joining up with them but generally just a cursory wave as we closed down from opposite directions in Hyde Park and then accelerated away at whatever 2 x 11mph equates to (Bill H is a mathematician, I'll ask him next time I see him, which is bound to be in a bar rather than a changing room). I digress ...
.We all lead rather mundane lives: sleep, work, recreation, socialise. Most of us do nothing about it. Bill was different and decided, from memory in the late 80's, to give up his good job, rent out his house and travel. To cut a long story short he decided to follow England's cricket team on foreign tours, yes he was one of the original Barmy Army. He would then come home for the summer, live with his parents, do some work then embark on another tour. The last time I saw him he proudly stated that he'd not missed an England foreign Test match for, I think he said, something like 15 years. According to the Army he saw 70 consecutive away Tests, an astonishing feat: http://www.barmyarmy.com/barmynews/index.php?m=barmyfull&iNewsID=516 He made friends all over the world and had some wonderful adventures. At least he died knowing that England had performed at their best for many, many years in retaining the Ashes.
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"At least we got our memory" thus sang the also recently lost Gerry Rafferty. Rest in Peace my friend. Another one gone. Sad times.
