Former Provost of Armadale dies

Dec 31 2009 by John Hutcheson, West Lothian Courier

FORMER Armadale Provost and town councillor William Ferrier has passed away, aged 96.

Mr Ferrier was born in Armadale in 1913 and attended Armadale Primary School and Armadale Junior Secondary School.

In 1930 he was awarded an apprenticeship at the Atlas Steel Foundry in Armadale, where he was to work for 47 years as a steel moulder.

He was in the trade union movement and was the right-hand man of Willie Simpson, who was British Secretary of the Amalgamated Union of Foundry Workers.

He did a lot work for Mr Simpson in Scotland where he was well known in Atlas, the West Lothian Steel Foundry and Renton and Fishers Foundry and Menzies in Bathgate.

Mr Ferrier worked hard to improve the lives the foundry workers and campaigned to raise awareness of conditions like silicosis, pneumoconiosis and chronic bronchitis.

He became Provost of Armadale in the 50s and was also a highly-respected town councillor, along with playing cornet in the Armadale Band.

After his wife Joan passed away in 1999, Mr Ferrier later moved to Aberdeen to be closer to his daughter Muriel.

He is survived by his daughter, son-in-law Jack and granddaughter Caroline.

His friend former MP Tam Dalyell said: “He was an extremely principled political and was well known in Armadale.”