Bayly was born in
Port Adelaide, a son of William Lansell Bayly (c. 1836–1911) and his wife Mary Ellen Bayly, née Phillips (c. 1842–1901), the first couple to be married in the Wesleyan Church,
Brighton. W. L. Bayly was Secretary of the
East End Market and a founder of the
Port Adelaide Institute. W. R. Bayly was educated at Port Adelaide State School when
Allen Martin was headmaster, and won a scholarship to study at Prince Alfred College. He entered Adelaide University and qualified M.A. and BSc. He returned to PAC as a master, serving from 1893 to 1909. In 1909 he was appointed headmaster of
Geelong College, where he was known as "Masher Bill", and from 1910 to 1914 did much to improve the school's sporting and scholastic performance, but during a six months' absence overseas his reputation suffered by comparison with the acting head W. T. Price. One College historian reports that he was "self-centred, in the style of
R. G. Menzies". In 1915 he returned to PAC to succeed
Frederic Chapple as headmaster. He retired in 1929 and died at his home on Wootoona Terrace,
Glen Osmond. ==Other interests==