Since young, William had a strong interest in how things worked. He and his cousin Geoffrey would dismantle old broken radios to understand the mechanisms behind it and even became proficient enough to start a business fixing spoilt radios. Despite not knowing the names of each component, they were able to learn each function through experimenting and could associate their uses by recognizing the way it looked. It was this curiosity and fascination that led him to understand how a dynamo worked, which was a critical component in the windmill he built.

Whilst reading up on circuit components for his tinkering, he stumbled upon the textbook Using Energy. Across its cover were pictures of windmills. Upon seeing it, all the electrical components that William had studied came together in his head and he understood how a windmill would be able to generate electricity. Electricity would allow him to operate light bulbs, radios, and most importantly a pump for water and irrigation. If he could direct water from the well to irrigate the land instead of relying on the weather, his family could harvest twice a year and would not have to worry about another famine.