Death of much-respected journalist and author (From Gazette & Herald)

Death of much-respected journalist and author

THE funeral of a respected journalist, who was also a successful novelist, writer, producer and director of film and television, was to be held in Malton on Thursday, January 6, 2005.

Bill Anderson, who would have celebrated his 74th birthday last Friday, passed away at 11.30am on Wednesday last week in the home he shared with his partner, Sheila Johnson, in Whitbygate, Thornton-le-Dale. He had a heart defect and a diseased coronary artery.

Bill leaves a son, Robert, 44, and a daughter Heather, 49, who lives in Bahrain with her husband Hedi and their 11-year-old son, Sami.

His funeral service was to be held at St Mary's Priory Church at 11.30am, followed by a private cremation. Donations in lieu of flowers will go to St Mary's Church, Malton Hospital and the Tidal Wave Emergency Appeal.

A collection will be made at the service. Alternatively, donations can be made care of F A Stockill and Son Funeral Directors, Snainton, Scarborough.

Bill grew up in Thornaby and won a place at the local grammar school. At the age of 17, he enlisted in the British Army and served with the Green Howards. Bill was then selected for the Special Air Service regiment and went to fight guerrillas in the jungles of Malaysia.

In 1952, he was struck down with amoebic dysentery and studied a correspondence course in journalism for four months from his hospital bed.

"They used to call him 'Scoop' Anderson," said Robert. "He lost a lot of weight; I think he was down to seven stone. He wrote articles for the hospital newspaper and for the local press."

On his return to England, he wrote for a newspaper in Aldershot and then moved to Doncaster, where he married his former wife in the mid-1950s and also worked for the East Mid News Service. He was also a Fleet Street reporter.

Bill made the film Wolfshead, The Legend of Robin Hood, which was a British entry in the Moscow Children's Film Festival, and he wrote four children's stories set in Buckingham Palace, which he was planning to compile into a set, called Tales from the Royal Mousehold, next year.

Bill made numerous documentaries for London Weekend television in Africa, America and Russia. He also worked as a researcher for the broadcaster Alan Whicker and worked with Hammer Pictures on several horror movies.

He lived in Stillington, before moving to Norton, first to Old Highfield House, Langton Road, then at Brookbank House, Welham Road, where he lived in total for 30 years.

One of his long term interests was horse racing and he managed a syndicate in Malton. He moved to Thornton-le-Dale in March.

Bill was passionate about Yorkshire, loved the theatre and was an ardent supporter of Middlesbrough FC.

Ms Johnson said she struck up a friendship with Bill when he wrote a book, Sally Face Like a Flower, about her daughter. Sally Johnson was a talented artist with Down's Syndrome who died four years ago.

"I'll remember him as a very kind, caring, friendly person. He had heart problems and so have I, so we understood one another, so that was another link in the chain," said Ms Johnson.

Old friends have rushed to pay tribute to Bill. Deirdre Buchanan, owner of The White Swan Inn, Pickering, said: "We're in deep shock because Bill was a very, very good friend and close personal friend for many years.

"Everybody who met Bill couldn't help but like him because he was a very likeable person. He was very generous and loving, and very amusing - he had a fantastic sense of humour. He was terribly supportive of me. He supported everything I did and said. He was a best mate. He's irreplaceable, really."

John Woodcock, a journalist and close friend of Bill's for many years, said: "Bill was a great journalist from the old school. He was a marvellous ideas man and a very colourful character. He was still working up until the day he died."

John Richardson, a retired journalist, said: "I worked alongside him in Ryedale. He was a man of tremendous imagination and flair. He could see stories where other people would walk past them. He was a very amusing person to be with and his fund of stories, particularly showbusiness stories, could keep a party going for a long time. He was a journalist of the old school."

Updated: 12:00 Wednesday, January 05, 2005