Former Camden mayor Jerry Williams with ex-MP Frank Dobson

• I WAS truly saddened to read of Jerry Williams’s death (The railwayman who became our first black mayor, Obituary, September 7).

Jerry – everyone knew him by his first name – was our Labour councillor in what was then Castlehaven ward. Always warm and cheerful, he was a delight to know, and to share a drink with.

There was almost never a situation that he faced without finding something amusing to say about it. But Jerry was also a hardworking councillor who was ready to serve his community in any way he could.

I will particularly remember the enthusiasm he put into boxing. He encouraged boys to train, arguing that it gave them a way to find a purpose for themselves and the discipline they needed in life.

Jerry was – as your obituary made clear – a railwayman. We still have some in the local Labour Party but sadly fewer than we once did as rising house prices and the difficulty of finding council housing, forces them further and further from Euston and King’s Cross.

I was told that once they would be woken up by men, sent round specially for the purpose, to make sure they didn’t miss their early shifts!

Hamba kahle, Jerry, as we say in South Africa. Every time I pass Talacre (which you did much for) I will remember you.

MARTIN PLAUT
Ryland Road, NW5