 He was a Steward of the Pony Turf Club and was involved in the foundation of Northolt Park Racecourse in 1929.In 1947, along with others, Bass continued the family tradition of acting as a benefactor to the Burton upon Trent area by donating a peal of five bells to All Saints Church to be installed as a war memorial.Sir William married Lady (Wilmot Ida) Noreen Hastings (1880–1949), second daughter of the 14th Earl of Huntingdon and a notable sportswoman, in 1903, but died, aged 72, without having children, leading to the extinction of the baronetcy.