Book  (1956)  Page(s) 133.  
 
Dr. A. S. Thomas, Balwyn, Vic.
‘William Orr’ (HT (McGredy, 1930) honours a rose enthusiast from the north of England.

Book  (1954)  Page(s) 151.  
 
R. A. Worth, Box Hill. Vic.
Who could design a better backcloth for ‘William Orr’ than his own long pointed light green leaves

Website/Catalog  (1953)  Page(s) 2.  
 
Yates Book of Roses and Fruit Trees.
William Orr  deep velvety crimson with a delightful sheen.  The outer portion of the petals is of a much lighter shade.  Flowers are large, full, and of perfect form.  Fragrance exceptionally sweet and strong.  A garden, bedding and exhibition sort which can be strongly recommended.

Book  (1953)  Page(s) 35.  
 
S. J., Bisdee. Red Roses in Tasmania.
‘William Orr’ is hopeless with me. In cold weather petals flop inwards and in hot sun, it burns badly.

Book  (1952)  
 
p55-4 Dr. A. S. Thomas. Red Roses.
‘William Orr’ remains the most prolific reliable red rose on my light sandy loam. The petals are not as long nor the bloom as sharply pointed as ‘William Harvey’, ‘Malar Rose’ ‘Poinsettia’ and others, but it is a wonderful rose for any purpose. When I first saw ‘Mme. A. Meilland’, I remarked that it was a yellow and pink replica of ‘William Orr’.

p58-3 ibid. I would select ‘Willam Orr’ (1930) or ‘Crimson Glory’ (1935) depending on the nature of the soil.

Magazine  (14 May 1951)  Page(s) 8.  
 
OLDER VARIETIES Among the older red varieties recommended are Crimson Glory (deep, lustrous crimson); William Orr (velvety crimson) ; Texas Centennial (blood-red toning to cerise): Granat (velvety, black-red blooms of medium size, sweetly scented and freely borne); Grand Duchess Charlotte (unusual shade of tomato-red, long-lasting and attractive); Malar Ros (large, deep crimson blooms of good form and fragrance) ; and Poinsettia (vivid, unfading scarlet, fragrant and freely borne).

Book  (1951)  Page(s) 70.  
 
Editor. The Relative Gravity of Common Faults in Exhibition Roses.
Centre…. very slightly blunted as ‘William Orr’ often is.

Article (newspaper)  (26 Mar 1950)  Page(s) 2.  
 
WILLIAM ORR has very deep velvety crimson blooms. Large flowers of good form. Richly fragrant. A good garden rose, indeed.
 

Book  (1950)  
 
p50-3 N. T. Scoble. Roses For Shaded Positions.
Not suitable are ‘William Orr’ and..

p65-1 Dr. A. S. Thomas. The Relationship of Drainage, pH and Manures.
‘William Orr’ grew better than any other rose in the garden, despite its soft wood, but the blooms were a lifeless light red with no black shadings and every flower hung its head.

p134-1. Frank Penn. NZ. The recommended Roses.
‘William Orr’ wonderful crimson champion is only listed in one State in Australia.

Book  (1949)  
 
p106-2 Editor. Our foremost growers were asked to submit a list of six “indispensables”.

p107-7 Mr. H. Alson, Diamond Creek, Vic.
…indispensable. ‘William Orr’ one of the most reliable dark reds for its fragrance, hardiness and vigour.

p112-9 Mr. H. Brunning, Melbourne, Vic.
‘William Orr’ is the hardiest and best of the dark red roses. It is velvet crimson, and is very free flowering. It occasionally mildews in a bad season, more especially if planted in a shady position, but is a very fine variety nevertheless.

p115-8 Dr. A. S. Thomas, Bentleigh, Victoria.
'William Orr’ is my best red – lovely colour, very free blooming, no diseases, vigorous, lasts well indoors, good form and good perfume.

p117-5 Mr. W. A. Stewart, Glen Iris, Victoria.
‘William Orr’ has been my best. It is strong growing, is of a bright colour, holds its head up well, is a first-class garden rose, and makes an excellent bunch for the exhibitor.

p118-8 Mr. C. A. Brown, Ivanhoe. Victoria.
‘William Orr’ appears to fit best what I want even though a large percentage of flowers are not as shapely as I would like. colour, growth, foliage and perfume are all good. ‘William Orr’ gets my vote.

p131-11 New Zealand. Rangitikei.
Community rose – ‘William Orr’.