bˈɔːɹn ɪn lˈʌndən ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd twˈɛnti θɹˈiː, hiː ɐtˈɛndᵻd skˈuːl æt wˈɪntʃɛstɚ kˈɑːlɪdʒ ɪn hˈæmpʃɚ ænd ɹˈiːd dʒɪˈɑːlədʒi æt nˈuː kˈɑːlɪdʒ, ˈɑːksfɚd, fˈɑːloʊd lˈeɪɾɚ baɪ ɐ dˈɑːktɚɹˌeɪt ɪn ɡlˌeɪsɪˈɑːlədʒi.
Born in London in 1923, he attended school at Winchester College in Hampshire and read geology at New College, Oxford, followed later by a doctorate in glaciology.