his family moved around considerably due to his father's career in the british army. the family eventually settled in his fathers home town of plymouth in the county of devon. 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. he went to bristol university where he also realized and developed a talent for art. his sketches and paintings were admired by art teachers at the university who advised him to study art rather than medicine. nonetheless, william hobbs graduated from bristol with a degree as a general practitioner in medicine. he then joined the royal navy in the tradition of his family and became a ship's surgeon in 1950.