- He was the godfather to the son of his Dad's Army (1968) co-star Ian Lavender.
- Considered unfit for military service as the result of an accident, he worked during World War II in a factory which made parts for Spitfire cannons.
- He was made an M.B.E. (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) in the 2007 Queen's Birthday Honours List for services to charity.
- He came from a very successful theatrical family. He was the nephew of Roland Pertwee, the first cousin of Jon Pertwee and Michael Pertwee, and the first cousin, once removed, of Sean Pertwee and Dariel Pertwee, who are the children of Jon Pertwee. He was the father of James Pertwee.
- He was a founder member and the president of the Dad's Army (1968) Appreciation Society.
- His mother was Brazilian and his English father had French ancestry.
- He was evacuated to Sussex during World War II. One of his older brothers died while serving in the RAF.
- He met his wife Marion in 1955 when they both appeared in a variety show in Norfolk. They married later that same year.
- In 1957, he wrote to BBC director/producer Richard Afton hoping for his big TV break. In the letter, he mentioned his cousin, actor Jon Pertwee, who became a star of the hit radio comedy "The Navy Lark" before taking on the title role in Doctor Who (1963) in 1970. At that point Bill had only been an entertainer for a couple of years, appearing in variety halls.
- In addition to playing ARP Warden Hodges in Dad's Army (1968), Bill was also the audience warm-up man.
- His hobbies were cricket and writing. He wrote books about seaside entertainment, the history of Royal Command performances, military entertainers, and the making of Dad's Army (1968).
- He was an account's clerk at the stock exchange prior to his acting career.
- Following the death of his wife Marion, his companion was Maggie Bourgein.
- He is portrayed by Shane Richie in We're Doomed! The Dad's Army Story (2015).
- A memorial service was held for him at St. Paul's Church, Covent Garden on 14th May 2014.
- West Horsley, Surrey, England. (June 2007)
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