William James Williamson (19 December 1922 – 28 January 1979) was an Australian jockey who enjoyed considerable success in Australia during the 1950s and in Europe during the 1960s.

[2] He later won the Duke of Edinburgh Australian Cup (1954) but faced a setback in October of that year when a fall nearly cost him his life and put him out of racing for nine months.

Apprentice Bill Williamson rode his first winner in 1937, but it was only after he was discharged from the army, where he served as a driver with the 119th General Transport Company, after which his career gathered pace.

Much of Williamson’s early success came from his association with trainers Lou Robertson and Fred Hoysted, both members of the Racing’s Hall of Fame.

His greatest success came in the 1952 Melbourne Cup when he rode Dalray to victory (with a broken left arm, being an injury sustained during a fall some three weeks before).

He became interested in horses as a child because of the achievements of his mothers uncle Bobby Lewis, the famous jockey (four times winner of Melbourne Cup).

Williamson spent 18 months in the army as a driver with the 119th General Transport Company in World War 2, but in 1944, on a leave of absence, he rode Lawrence into second place in the Caulfield Cup won by Counsel.

Williamson never elaborated on the incident but did confide with the co-writer of this biography, that the interference in question made no impact on the result as the horse was tiring under his huge weight of the time, but to others this explanation was not forthcoming and died with him.

Williamson went to Europe in 1960 with wife Zelma and his two sons, spending two years in Ireland with Seamus McGrath, for whom he won several Irish classics.

Having moved to England in 1962, Williamson won the Ascot Gold Cup, French Gold Cup and the Arc de Triomphe on Levmoss in 1969, a considerable feat in the same year considering the fact the horse was stylishly winning long distance races over 2.5–3 miles, having to revert to a mile and half against the cream of the crop of Europe to win Arc de Triomphe.

After a most distinguished career in the saddle of some 37 years, he returned to Melbourne in 1976 at the age of 54 and became assistant start for the VRC and VATC until his death on 28 January 1979.