During the Second World War, William along with his three brothers Frederick, John and Dennis were evacuated from blitz-torn Plymouth to Penzance.

Just after Victory in Europe, but still during World War II, William did his military service and received a scholarship to study medicine.

Notwithstanding the considerable demands in time alone imposed upon him by his role in this rural community, he managed to develop a technical skill in painting which won him first prize in a major Canadian art show in 1978.

His work was on exhibit at the winter garden pavilion in December 1978, under the high patronage of the Sovereign Prince and Princess of Monaco.

[2] It's a nod to the master Rembrandt, who placed a similar dog, darkly lit, in his most famous painting, The Night Watch.