I found it difficult to believe at first. Bill and I came from the same hometown, attended the same school and both of us joined Blue Funnel at age 16 as deckboys, although Bill was five years ahead of me.
When the allegations surfaced that he had been posting under various names, I couldnt believe it but the ,then, site owner, Steve, actually telephoned me and gave me chapter and verse of Bill's rule bending, I was gobsmacked.
It was a shame. As others have said he was a very knowledgeable seaman who had accomplished much in his life. Latterly he was, maybe still is, a farmer in Shropshire, who occasionally shipped out as master on VLCCs.