Gordon Frederick Cummins was born in New Earswick, North Yorkshire on 18 February 1914, the first of three children born to John Cummins and his wife Amelia, née Lee. Cummins's father was a civil servant who ran a school for delinquent youths; his mother was a housewife. As a child, Cummins received a private education in Llandovery, South Wales, although contemporary reports from his years at the Llandovery County Intermediate Secondary School describe his academic performance as unremarkable, with teachers later recollecting Cummins was much more preoccupied with socializing than his studies. Nonetheless, Cummins did obtain a diploma in Chemistry at age sixteen. After completing his schooling in 1930, Cummins attended Northampton College of Technology. He abandoned his studies on November 1, 1932.