Obituary: Billy Wolfe, former SNP leader

Published on Friday 19 March 2010 14:24

BILLY WOLFE fought for Britain in the Second World War before going on to lead the SNP to its greatest electoral success at Westminster.

• William Wolfe addresses the Scottish National Party conference in Motherwell, May 1976

Mr Wolfe, who was born in 1924, served in the Scottish Horse Regiment and, after the war, he became involved in groups that promoted Scotland and Scottish culture.

The qualified chartered accountant went on to join the SNP in 1959, convinced that "there is a nation of Scots, therefore, to survive, that nation must behave like other nations and accept responsibility of nationhood."

Three years after that he stood as the party's candidate in the West Lothian by-election.

While Labour's Tam Dalyell went on to win the contest, Mr Wolfe, who was educated at George Watson's College in Edinburgh, came in a surprise second.

He had fought the election under the slogan Put Scotland First – which went on to become a popular campaign slogan for the party in the 1960s and 1970s.

Mr Wolfe went on to stand in the West Lothian seat at six further general elections, although he was never elected as an MP.

He rose up through the ranks of the SNP, becoming its depute leader in 1966 – a post he held until he became leader in 1969.

It was under his leadership that the party had its greatest electoral success at Westminster.

The General Election in October 1974 saw the Nationalists win over 30% of the vote in Scotland and a record 11 SNP MPs were returned to the Commons.

Mr Wolfe stood down after the 1979 General Election, which resulted in just two SNP MPs being elected, and was succeeded as leader by Gordon Wilson.

A year later he took on the role of SNP party president and between 1991 and 2008 he served as a member of the SNP's National Executive Committee and also as an elected member of the party's National Council.