William studied History and Art History at Bristol University, and did his MA at the Sainsbury Centre for the Visual arts at the University of East Anglia Norwich, specializing in Westminster Abbey. He taught history to university entrance level for ten years before settling in France. In 1991, he became a nationally accredited Guide-conférencier des Monuments Historiques et des Sites, and a Guide-Interprète régional.

Since 1994, William has written nine guide books for Pitkin Guides and the French publisher Pro Libris, all on the theme of D-Day and the battle of Normandy, sold in English and in French.

He has given lectures on Silver Seas cruises and the Silver Cloud II. Off-season he used to teach English to engineers and lawyers at the University of Caen, and from 2002 to 2020 William was the President of the Franco-British Association in Caen. 

After 35 years "in the field" welcoming Americans and Canadians in Normandy, his accumulated experience highlights what the men of 1944—who included his father and uncles—achieved for the two generations that followed the war.