Frank Spears was born in Walsall, near Birmingham, England on 4th August 1906. His father, Alfred James Spears, ran his own company in Birmingham which did spray work, plaster odd sides, core stocks and made Tin Men's Gas Stoves. He described himself as a General Metal Patternmaker. Alfred was married to Florence and they had three children. The oldest Tom went to university to read chemistry and worked for the government at Porton Down. The second child, Edith, became headteacher of a primary school after spending some time in West Africa where she contracted a serious infection. Frank the youngest also went to grammar school and then trained in art, music, drama and architectural design at the Birmingham School of Art and later London.