During the second war Bill was stationed in Ceylon (present day Sri-Lanka), particularly around the Trincomalee region where he served as an Anti-Submarine Operative on a tug along with eleven other crewman. These consisted of a skipper, first officer, engineer, stoker, coxswain and seven other crew and their vessel was equipped with a pair of twin Vickers .303 on port with a Bofers gun as a slightly heavier form of armourment. Throughout their time there the crew’s primary function was to inform the allies where they should be targeting their bombing.

They performed other duties as well though, for example acting in a transport capacity for special operations missions, such as the time when Bill took a party of men ashore with wireless equipment and was left by himself in the dinghy waiting for them to return and was left only with a single oar, and no gun. The men ran into difficulties along the way and took three hours to get back, by which time it was broad daylight, and Bill recalls that whilst waiting he noticed that the shoreline was full of wild dogs, that looked non too friendly. Eventually the men did return and they escaped more or less unscathed.

Another time, he recounts, their tugs diesel engine crankcase split and himself and the crew were left stranded in the middle of the ocean for two days before any help could arrive. Not only were their enemy vessels around but also it was the middle of Monsoon season (!) and after the two nights of waiting a ship arrived and towed them back into port.