Dr. Taylor at 38.
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Dr. Bill Taylor was born in 1914, in Leslie, where his father was Inspector of the Poor. He attended the local school, where his abilities were soon perceived and in due course he won a place at George Heriot's in Edinburgh. There he found an atmosphere which encouraged academic and sporting excellence and Bill Taylor thrived. It was at Heriot's that he acquired a love of the classics, which was to endure and influence all of his life.
From school he went to the University of Edinburgh, from where he graduated with honours in history. However, like all young men of his
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generation, he was inevitably caught up in war. He joined the army and ended up as a captain in the Royal Corps of Signals, serving with the Eighth Army in North Africa, Sicily and Italy. It was his proud boast that he actually sent the signal to start the attack on El Alamein.
In later years he tended to gloss over the dangers and hardships of this time, and his reminiscences were of the comradeship and humour of army life.
Early in the war he married Myfanwy, always known as Bunny, whom he had met when he was acting as a tour guide in Belgium during a university vacation. It was to be a lasting partnership in which each complemented the qualities and supported the interests and activities of the other. Bunny walked every mile of the military roads with Bill for his book, and he, in turn, supported all of the extra work that she unstintingly did for her special-needs pupils.
After the war Bill returned to academic life, studying for a PhD while holding a full-time teaching post at Bathgate Academy. His researches into the Scots Parliament of the early 17th century showed how the institution worked and how cleverly the Stewart kings used this tool to govern Scotland while they were based in England.
From Bathgate he went on to become principal teacher of history at Morgan Academy in Dundee, where he soon became a legend among his pupils. But it was in the then Dundee College of Education as principal lecturer in history that he was to make his most significant contribution. Generations of students were taught by him the importance of their country's history. They also came to appreciate the discipline of the subject by being sent to study original source documents.
Bill was a pioneer of field studies, and students were sent to look for history in the landscape of Perthshire as well as in the urban surroundings of Dundee. Nowadays such an approach is taken for granted.
During this time he researched and wrote his book on the military roads in Scotland and the detailed study of Glen Fincastle. At the same time he took an active part in the academic and social life of the college and indeed of the wider studies of history in Scotland.
He was responsible for drawing up the history course when the BEd degree was first offered at Dundee College, and here his enthusiasm for Europe and the opportunities it offered received their fullest expression. It is typical of the man that this interest was expressed in his lectures to students, and he felt that the greatest contribution that he could make was through the future generation of teachers.
On a personal level, Bill was an understanding and tolerant head of department who gave his staff considerable latitude on the tacit understanding that they delivered the goods. He was good fun to work with and was always receptive to new ideas. Serious staff meetings frequently became hilarious, but the aims were always achieved in the end.
One particularly vivid memory is of Bill surrounded by papers, reports, photographs and documents declaiming that he stood like Marius amidst the ruins of Carthage.
It was always a special event to be invited to dinner with the Taylors. Whether it was a small gathering or a big party for groups such as the commonwealth students, the wine and food were superlative, and Bunny and Bill were generous and considerate hosts.
Bill will be remembered as a talented photographer, a regular contributor to the letters column of The Scotsman and not least as a devoted husband, father, grandfather and, in his final year, as a great-grandfather.
Source: Mary Reilly, The Scotsman, 31 March, 2005.
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