Anthony John Hart was born at Southend to a London loss adjuster, and educated at King’s College School, Wimbledon. After a brief spell in the family business, he volunteered for the Navy, where his first Christmas in uniform was spent peeling potatoes in Belfast. His first ship was Beverley during the atrocious weather of early 1943 when he spent much time chipping ice off the superstructure to stop the ship becoming top heavy and capsizing.