Following the sad news of the death of Gareth Williams, please click here to read Len Threadgold's tribute. Further comments have been added below and Len's letter to Gareth's family is viewable by clicking here.

Shocking news about Gareth (Lal) Williams, our star classmate. The nation has lost a very talented and good man that we had the priviledge to know. Visions of mortality......

Neville Dutton - UK

I was shocked to hear of Gareth's passing. At such a young age. I always remember him as a serious competitor throughout school. The only time I really did him in was for an essay prize given by the local Rotary Club. Joe Mesham,our wonderful history teacher vetted and transformed my own contribution entitled "Ordinary Standards of Morality Do Not Obtain in International Affairs". I read my piece to all the local worthies and received five quid. The most important point was that someone from the science sixth had done in someone from the Arts side. Not been done before.

Still, I never went where he did.

Alun Jones - USA

How sad to hear about Gareth Williams - sounds as though there will be considerable difficulty in finding another House of Lords leader of the same calibre.

Roger Nuttall - UK

Lal's brother geraint known as Pug was in my class and I am sure all are profoundly shocked.

Peter Maccutchan - UK

What a shock to hear of Gareth's death. I wasn't in the same year as Gareth but remember him very well, and especially from Christ Church CP. I was one of his sister's (Catrin's) attendants at the Proclamation of the National Eisteddfod when it was in Rhyl; she was in the procession carrying the Horn of Plenty. I have a photograph somewhere of the procession taken in Vale Road on the way to the Eisteddfod field at the corner of Bryn Cwnin opposite where Sainsburys is today.

I caught an interview with Gareth on BBC2 last November when I was over in U.K. on a current affairs program. Thoroughly enjoyed listening to him speak and remembering him from school.

Val Harrison - Canada