Born in 1884, son of Francis Charles Bryan MRCS of Littlehampton, Sussex. He was educated at Westminster School and St Mary's Hospital, and held house appointments there and at Great Ormond Street. He spent several years in research, was demonstrator of bacteriology at Oxford, worked in Almroth Wrig

Born on 4 July 1890 at West Hartlepool, Durham, where his father Thomas George Ainsley (MRCS 1877, MD Durham) was in practice. His mother's maiden name was Hill. He was educated at Malvern College, at Caius College, Cambridge, where he took second-class honours in the Natural Sciences Tripos, part 1