heren was born in the east end of london. his father, a printer on "the times", died when heren was four years old. as it was a paternalistic company in those days, heren was able to leave school at 14 to begin work as a messenger on the newspaper. he moved up to work in various departments before the onset of world war ii. he joined the british army as a private soldier in 1939, commissioned and served in france, the western desert, burma and the netherlands east indies. after being demobbed as a major in 1946, he returned to "the times" and was made a foreign correspondent.