achieving his long-held wish. Like many of his generation and class from South London, his education was generally poor, and he left school at 16 with one O Level in spite of his clear intelligence. Bill and his wife Janet moved to Broadstairs in 1988, becoming quickly involved in the local community. In 1996, Pitt joined the Labour Party, disillusioned with the Liberal Democrats (which had been formed by the merger of the Alliance parties) and concerned with preventing Jonathan Aitken holding his seat in Thanet South. He campaigned for Labour in Thanet and for Malcolm Wicks in Croydon North in the 1997 general election. He retired from full-time employment in August 2003, having been Head of Training for the Canary Wharf Group, where he set up a Construction Apprenticeship Programme, initiating and embedding a training programme for all staff; he well understood the value of lifelong learning to improve personal wellbeing and improve society. In 2005, he became editor of the Norwood Review, the newsletter of the Norwood Society. Following retirement, he became Chairman of the Occupational Pensioners Alliance. He was a member of the Methodist Church for over 55 years and was latterly Senior Steward for Canterbury & East Kent Methodist Circuit. He became a senior member of the Academy FM Thanet news team after joining the station in 2013, and was a helpful mentor to less experienced colleagues. Pitt loved radio and the opportunities it gave him to interview politicians, alongside local and international artists (including Grayson Perry, a favourite) as well as highlighting community activity. His hobbies included photography, while music was a lifelong enthusiasm: his tastes embraced folk, classical, jazz and many more recent genres, including punk. He sang in choirs for over 50 years, including latterly the Amici Choir (part of Canterbury Cantata Trust). He was a keen and active member of Thanet University of the Third Age (Thanet U3A). Pitt died late on 17 November 2017 in Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital, Margate after a short illness, leaving his wife Janet and daughter Jane. He was 80. References Dod's Parliamentary Companion for 1983 External links 1937 births 2017 deaths People educated at the London Nautical School Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1979–1983 Politics of the London Borough of Croydon Alumni of London South Bank University Labour Party (UK) politicians 20th-century British Army personnel Royal Army Service Corps soldiers