David Williams, who served as general secretary of Cohse – one of the three founding unions of UNISON – from 1983 until 1987, has died at the age of 98.
Born in 1926 in the village of Brynrefail, near Caernarfon, north Cymru/Wales, he won a scholarship to the local grammar school, but when his quarryman father fell ill, he had to leave the school at 15.
He started work as an office boy at an aircraft factory in Llanberis, then served for four years in the Royal Navy on minesweepers during and after WWII, then became a nurse at Denbigh psychiatric hospital, where he met fellow nurse Kathleen Jones. They married in 1949.
Becoming active in the union and local politics, David became Yorkshire regional secretary of Cohse in 1955, going on to be elected assistant general secretary in 1974 before becoming general secretary nine years later.
He is survived by seven children, 19 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren.
