William Bell Williams was commonly known as just "Billy" Williams and was perhaps Water Haigh's most well known personality. He came from a family of miners and followed his father Frank down the pit when he was just 13 years old in 1917. He graduated to become an Under Manager and then for 20 years from 1938 to 1958 he was the Manager, taking the pit through the transition in 1947 from the private ownership of Henry Briggs & Company to the public ownership of the National Coal Board. He was highly regarded as a "firm but fair" boss and evidence in the minutes of pit consultative committee meetings shows that he was as understanding of his workforce's welfare as he was of production and profits for the shareholders or the country. In October 1956, along with a Polish miner called Waclow Chrystin, he was awarded the George Medal for a rescue attempt underground in which two men were buried under a roof fall.
At Buckingham Palace. From Coal News, January 1957.