First Minister attends funeral of SNP stalwart William Wolfe

Apr 1 2010 by John Rowbotham, Hamilton Advertiser

First Minister attends funeral of SNP stalwart William Wolfe

FIRST Minister Alex Salmond joined other top SNP members and activists from all over the country at the funeral of William ‘Billy’ Wolfe.

It was held on Monday afternoon at North Lanarkshire Crematorium near Holytown.

Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Finance Secretary John Swinney and Hamilton by-election heroine Winnie Ewing were among the mourners as the former party leader’s coffin, covered in a Saltire, was brought into the crematorium.

Mr Salmond read extracts from Mr Wolfe’s book, Scotland Lives, and spoke about his contribution to the SNP’s development as a political party.

Mr Salmond said Mr Wolfe’s second place in the 1962 West Lothian by-election was “the moment the SNP broke through as a central and driving force in the Scottish political process”.

He added: “Billy was also incredibly influential in developing a social democratic ethos for the SNP in terms of its political identity - something which there were doubts about when he was leader, but which came to fruition in later years, and was vital in the success we enjoy today.”

Mr Wolfe’s son, Patrick, told the 200 mourners: “In thinking about Billy, the following core values come to my mind: honour, truth, trust, respect in nature, equality, identity, justice, freedom, commitment, fairness, respecting and encouraging cultural identity, internationalism, peace and human rights.”

There were also contributions from Mr Wolfe’s daughter, Sheila, and granddaughter.

Other senior party figures at the funeral included Education Secretary Mike Russell, ex-SNP leader Gordon Wilson, and former Scottish Parliament presiding officer George Reid.

Mr Wolfe, a chartered accountant who lived in Quarter with his wife Kate, died earlier this month at Hamilton’s Udston Hospital following an illness.

He was 86 and led the SNP in the 1970s when they achieved significant success in Westminster elections, returning 11 MPs in the October 1974 election.

Mr Wolfe is survived by Kate and four children from a previous marriage: David, Sheila, Ilene and Patrick.

Retiring collections were made for the Parkinson’s Disease Scotland and the Eilean Mor MacCormick Trust.