Gwyn Alf Williams, former professor of history at the Universities of York and Wales, was never one to go quietly anywhere and his funeral last month carried that tradition to the end. Punctuated by shouts of "Viva Gwyn" from the congregation, the service reached its climax as Professor Williams's coffin slid into the furnace accompanied by a rumbustious chorus of The Internationale backed by a recording of the Red Army Choir.