tribute from Vernon Reynolds
I got to know Willie during my years in the Sociology Department at Bristol University, 1966-1972. This was a new department and the first Head of Department was Michael Banton. I believe Willie came to Bristol from Edinburgh with Banton, in any event they got on well and Willie could be described as Banton’s protégé .
Apart from teaching and taking part in the work of the Department, Willie’s main concern was his PhD thesis, on the police. Banton had wanted a straightforward analysis of modern policing in Britain but Willie approached the topic from a more philosophical angle. This caused some friction between them.
Willie and his ever-cheerful wife Liz became firm friends of my wife Frankie and myself. A few times, after a night out, we stayed at his house, sleeping in the top floor bedroom with its magnificent views over Bristol. For a while, Liz and Willie had a long-term visitor from China, Wen-Bin, whose company we enjoyed; Willie and Liz later visited Wen-Bin for a prolonged stay in Beijing but it was in winter time and he said they were mostly cold.
Willie was an interesting conversationalist and liked nothing better than to get stuck into a lengthy philosophical discussion. His chief mentor was Emile Durkheim whom he quoted frequently, and he became an active member of the Durkheim Society together with William Pickering. Durkheim’s views on policing and crime influenced Willie’s thinking, and this may be why he and Banton had different views. Banton had a more functional approach and was less concerned with the philosophy of policing.
In later years I did not lose contact with Willie and Liz. We talked on the phone and visited them in their Bristol home.
How do we remember Willie? Mainly for his cheerful and caring nature, his fondness for his friends, and his charming personality. We shall miss him.
Stephanie
04/08/2026
