Born in 1901, son of R J Burt White, cotton goods buyer, of Crouch End, he was educated at Epsom College and St Bartholomew's Hospital, where he won the Foster prize in anatomy and the Harvey prize in physiology. He was house surgeon to W McAdam Eccles and Girling Ball, and served as intern midwifer

Brews was the son of a general practitioner, Richard Vincent Brews, LRCSI, and his wife Edith Manifold; he was born in North Woolwich in 1902. He was educated at the Merchant Taylors' School and became a medical student at the London Hospital in 1920. After gaining many prizes he qualified in 1924,