The Club is saddened to announce the passing of Dr David ‘Billy’ Walker, who earned his Blue in 1974, rowing in the 3-seat of the 120th Boat Race.
David Walker was born on 10th January 1953 and died on 20th December 2025 when he collapsed on his ergometer. He attended Bootham School in York where he was large in body and character having the nickname Herman (the monster, who those of a certain age will recall). He was a cheeky chap who apparently caused much mischief but rarely got caught, having a cheery smile and ready wit. These things did not change. He excelled at sport but never rowed.
He came up to Cambridge in 1971 to read Medical Sciences at Clare where he learnt to row. He did this to such effect that he rowed 7 in the Clare 1973 Lent boat which went head. This brought him to the attention of Alf Twinn and he trialled later that year, gaining his Blue in 1974. There were four Davids in the squad that year and Billy Walker was a famous boxer; Donald accordingly thought that David should become Billy. The name stuck. As was said in the eulogy at his memorial service, the crew unfortunately came second. He was also captain of Clare Boat Club that year.
In those days the clinical part of the medical degree was not done in Cambridge, Addenbrooke’s not then being a teaching hospital. Unlike most of his contemporaries who went to London he returned to Newcastle where his father was Professor of Haematology. He recently said that had he known what an important part of his life rowing was to become he would have gone to London; the South East being a rather more important rowing centre than the North East then. When he arrived in Newcastle the University Boat Club was in a poor state being very definitely inferior to Durham. However things were to change, in 1976 the NUBC crew was dominant in the North East and won silver at BUCS. He used to claim, with a grain of truth, that this was the start of the era which put NUBC on the map leading to many recent Olympic medals.
David continued to row after college and after finding the local rowing club somewhat hidebound, set up his own in 1980 with ten like minded oarsmen, City of Newcastle RC where he had great success, being beaten only by crews from the Thames. After a couple of seasons of giving the local club a good kicking the clubs amalgamated in 1983. After this David moved to Durham ARC where he was extraordinarily successful on the veteran rowing scene winning many head, veteran championship, Henley masters and world championship medals. When he moved to Northumberland about five years ago he returned to rowing at Tyne ARC which he continued to do until his death.
Professionally he became an extremely well loved and successful Consultant Rheumatologist at the Freeman and North Tyneside hospitals where he met his second wife Sandra. Five years before he retired last year he left the Freeman to set up Rheumatology services at the North Tyneside hospital. During his career he was extremely supportive of his junior colleagues and greatly improved the lot of his many patients. A humble and modest man, it seems unlikely that he realised the esteem in which he was held and how well he was liked and respected by his patients. During his career he published more than a hundred peer reviewed papers. In his last paper it gave him great pleasure to cite two of his earlier papers which brought his number of citations, the H number, to forty. Competitive to the last!
His funeral and memorial service were on 19th January in Alnwick and were extremely well attended. All surviving UK members of his Blue Boat, sitting together in “The Colour”, and several Clare oarsmen were present.
David you were a great man and will be sorely missed.
Written by friend and crewmate David Sprague