Paterson was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, and emigrated to South Africa with his family in 1901. He left school young and went to work at fourteen, serving part-time in the Transvaal Scottish Regiment. During World War I his regiment was called up, and Paterson served in the Namibian and East African campaigns before being demobilized in 1918.[1] After the war he was awarded a veteran's scholarship, and went to study at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London.