Hamilton mourns death of historian Bill Wallace

Oct 16 2008 by Shirley Bartynek, Hamilton Advertiser

TRIBUTES were this week paid to Bill Wallace, the Hamilton historian famous for his “encyclopedic” knowledge of the town, who has died at the age of 92.

Bill was an active member of Hamilton Civic Society and the town’s Arts Guild.

Civic Society president David Bissett spoke of Bill’s “passion for local history” and campaigning work to protect Hamilton’s heritage.

Bill was educated at Hamilton Academy and after leaving school he became a clerk with the Royal Bank of Scotland in Cadzow Street, Hamilton.

In 1940, he volunteered for War service and reached the rank of lance corporal. He was awarded a Defence Medal.

Bill married his wife Audrey in 1953 and they had two sons, Gordon and Mark.

He was always fascinated by the history of the town and became an active member of the civic society.

In 1975, Hamilton celebrated its quincentenary and to mark the event, the society published a book entitled Hamilton 1475-1975 containing articles written by local historians.

Four were written by Bill, who also edited the book. Bill regarded the book as one of his greatest achievements.

In 2000, he was made the society’s Honorary Vice-President.

Mr Bisset said: “Over the years, Bill made a tremendous contribution to the history of the society.

“He had a passion for local history and his knowledge of the town was encyclopedic.

“If we needed anything from him for the society - facts or information - he was able to provide this with ease and he was only too happy to help.

“Bill was a very modest person and enjoyed being a source for reference rather than someone who would speak in front of others.

“He was a campaigner and would watch with interest when things were planned for change in the town.

“He felt that it was important to protect the history of the town.”

After retirement from the Royal Bank of Scotland, Bill continued to pursue his interest in local history.

He became a regular visitor at Hamilton Library and would be there waiting on the doors opening many mornings.

The library made their full collection available to him and in turn he donated copies of his articles, papers and books to them.

A spokesman for the library said: “We are so grateful to Mr Wallace for the invaluable work that he has given to us throughout the years.

“Many of his hand-written notes and publications will be used for many years to come.

“He was a true gentleman and a wonderful man.”

In 1970/71 Bill wrote a series of articles for the Advertiser entitled “Write Up Your Street”.

Bill, assisted by another historian, was also able to identify Hamilton’s oldest pub, the Butterburn Bar, and they chronicled its history back to 1781.

In 1999/2000, he was awarded the Community Service Award by Hamilton Rotary Club.

The club celebrated his role in bringing the history of Hamilton to life and recognised his many years of service to the Civic Society.

Bill is survived by his wife Audrey, two sons, Gordon and Mark, and grandchildren Eleanor and Andrew.

His funeral was held on Saturday at Cadzow Parish Church, Hamilton, and then onto South Lanarkshire Crematorium.