 Though he was born in the British Crown dependency of Guernsey—his parents were actors in a repertory company playing in Guernsey at the time—he left the island with his parents when he was still only an infant.His parents worked as actors in repertory and fit-ups (traveling theatrical groups) mainly in the north of England and Wales and had no fixed place of abode.His education was, until the outbreak of the Second World War, sporadic.