he suffered a severe burn to his right hand when young, and learned to write and play tennis and squash with his left hand. he was educated at local primary schools, a prep school and then at worksop college in nottinghamshire. his hand injury made him exempt from military service in the second world war, and he read law at leeds university and christ church, oxford. he graduated in the second class in 1947 and was called to the bar at the inner temple in 1948.