He was born in London as Donald Yarranton, the son of Edward John Yarranton (1884-1954) and Clara Ann (née Malkin) (1888-1921) [REF].
His younger brother from his father's second marriage was Sir Peter Yarranton (1924-2003), chairman of the United Kingdom Sports Council from 1989 to 1994, and a notable figure in the world of rugby union, both as a player and as an administrator, for more than 40 years.