hiː wʌz ˈɛdʒuːkˌeɪɾᵻd æɾ ˈiːtən ænd dʒˈɔɪnd ðə tˌɛɹɪtˈoːɹɪəl dᵻvˈɪʒən ʌvðə ɹˈɔɪəl ɑːɹtˈɪlɚɹi ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd twˈɛnti sˈɛvən, ɹˈaɪzɪŋ tə ðə ɹˈæŋk ʌv mˈeɪdʒɚ ænd fˈɔːt ɪn wˈɜːld wˈɔːɹ ɹˌoʊmən tˈuː wˌɛɹ hiː wʌz mˈɛnʃənd ɪn dᵻspˈætʃᵻz ænd ˈæftɚwɚdz ɐwˈɔːɹdᵻd ðɪ ˌɛmbˌiːˈiː.
He was educated at Eton and joined the territorial division of the Royal Artillery in 1927, rising to the rank of Major and fought in World War II (where he was mentioned in despatches and afterwards awarded the MBE).