Again from David Crystal's Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language , page 264, talking about the letter w:

W/w usually represents a voiced bilabial semi-vowel, /w/ (wig )and also forms part of digraphs representing several long vowels or diphthongs (cow, saw, knew, owe.

and page 242, discussing the sound:

The distinction between consonant and vowel is fundamental, but some sounds sit uneasily between the two, being articulated in the same way as vowels, but functioning in the language in the same way as consonants. /j/ as in yes and /w/ as in we are like this. ... Similarly, /w/ is formed like a short [u] vowe, but acts as a consonant ( we, me, see ). These two consonants are therefore sometimes described as semi-vowels .

Not 'Enry 'Iggins, but I hope he'll do.

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