Born at Elton Hall, Sandbach, Cheshire on 16 June 1876, the eldest son of Charles Billington. He was educated at Sandbach Grammar School and at Wellington College, Salop (Wrekin school), where he became head of the school and acted for a time as secretary to Sir John Bayley, its master and founder.

Born 27 July 1875 at the Royal Naval Hospital, Stonehouse, Plymouth, only child of Staff-Surgeon Charles Lyon Ridout, RN, MRCS 1866, and Ada Perley Scott, his wife, daughter of Archibald Scott of Halifax, Nova Scotia. C L Ridout was at that time on the staff at Stonehouse and later served in HMS *To