Reg was born in 1902 at 1 Station Road, Plympton (now a suburb of Plymouth), to John (who was a coachman) and Emily (who owned and ran a confectionary and refreshments shop), Reg was the youngest of five alongside brothers Cecil and Arthur and sisters Winifred and Marjorie. He was baptised at Plympton St. Mary's in February of the following year, where he and brother Ted were later choirboys.

By 1911 the family had moved around the corner to the Ridgeway and he and Ted attended Devonport High School. Both were keen on football and cricket and Reg was in the football first eleven photographed near the end of the war.

Reg moved to London in 1920 and joined the Civil Service, and late in 1922 he married Margery Randall.

By this time he was playing for Tufnell Park, having made his debut in August 1922, and it was later that season, 08 November 1922, that he was selected, alongside Wimbledon's George Boase and Ronnie Rowe and future Wimbledon goalkeeper Charles Sterry, for the London F.A. Junior side's match against the Surrey Juniors at Summerstown.

He is also reported as having played for Nunhead.

Whether or not that connection had any influence on Reg joining Wimbledon the following season is not known, but he made his club debut for the reserves against the Civil Service reserves in the final match of 1923, an inauspicious 0-2 defeat against the bottom club in the Isthmian League Reserve Section, but he was picked out for a special mention in the local newspaper report. After a sparkling match for the second string in a 6-1 victory over London Caledonian's reserve team the following week he was thrust into the first team against his old club, Tufnell Park, on 19 January 1923, when he was said to have "gave a promising display and centred very well". However, it wasn't until the start of March that he played for the senior side again, but from then until the end of the season he was a regular starter, although he missed out on the Surrey Senior Cup final in May. In the meanwhile he was selected in February to play for the Isthmian League reserves against the Spartan League (Div 2) XI. He proved popular with the fans and soon earned the nickname "Willy".

The following season he rarely missed a match until the arrival of Guy Rowell from Kingstonian, who displaced him from his regular left-wing berth. He was tried for a few matches at right-wing, but after a loss and a draw his last match for the club was in a 4-0 win over Oxford City in March 1925.

In the summer he toured Spain with the Middlesex Wanderers, who played twice each against Valencia and RCD Español.

He returned to Tufnell Park the following season where he was still playing in March 1927 and in 1929/30 he was playing for Hounslow Town when they won promotion to the Premier Division of the Spartan League, and where he was still playing for at least the following two seasons.

Reg went on to have six children in ten years, and with a good job with the Ministry of Health & Social Security he felt unable to follow his dream of turning professional.

After his football career tailed off he continued to play cricket.

Reg passed away in Bournemouth in 1982.