Editing Gerry Anderson (section)

==Early life==
Gerald Alexander Abrahams was born in the [[Elizabeth Garrett Anderson and Obstetric Hospital]] in [[Bloomsbury]], London, and spent the early years of his life in [[Kilburn, London|Kilburn]],<ref name="GAbio-3">{{cite book
 | last = Archer
 | first = Simon
 |author2=Nicholls, Stan
 | title = Gerry Anderson: The Authorised Biography
 | year = 1996
 | publisher = Legend Books
 | page = 3
 | isbn = 978-0-09-978141-7
}}</ref> and [[Neasden]],<ref>Hearn, Marcus; Archer, Simon (2002). ''What Made Thunderbirds Go'', BBC Books. p130 {{ISBN|0-563-53481-8}}.</ref> London. He was educated at Kingsgate Infants School in Kilburn and Braintcroft Junior and Senior schools in Neasden, prior to winning a scholarship to [[Capital City Academy|Willesden County Grammar School]].<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2012/dec/26/gerry-anderson Obituary: "Gerry Anderson"], ''The Guardian,'' 26 December 2012. Retrieved 26 December 2012</ref> His parents were Deborah (''née'' Leonoff) and Joseph Abrahams.{{citation needed|date=April 2022}}

At the start of the [[Second World War]], Gerry Anderson's elder brother, Lionel, volunteered for service in the [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF); he was stationed in the United States for advanced training. Lionel often wrote letters to his family, and in one letter described a [[US Army Air Forces]] air base called [[Thunderbird Field]], the name of which stayed in his younger brother's memory. Lionel was killed in action on 27 April 1944 when his [[de Havilland Mosquito]] was shot down over the Netherlands.<ref>{{cite book|last=Feast|first=Sean|title=A Thunder Bird in Bomber Command The Wartime Letters and Story of Lionel Anderson, the Man Who Inspired a Legend|publisher=Fighting High Publishing|year=2015|isbn=9780993212949}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Anderson, Lionel David |url=https://www.rememberingthejewsofww2.com/raf/anderson-lionel-david/ |access-date=3 September 2023 |website=Remembering the Jews of WW2 |language=en-US}}</ref>

On 16 October 1952, Anderson married Betty Wrightman (1929–2021).<ref>{{cite web|last=Dale|first=Chris|date=25 October 2021|title=Obituary – Betty Peacock|url=https://www.gerryanderson.com/obituary-betty-peacock/}}</ref> They had two daughters.<ref name="Tele">{{cite web|title=Gerry Anderson: The Puppet Master|url=http://www.teletronic.co.uk/gerry_anderson.htm|website=Teletronic|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204090323/https://www.teletronic.co.uk/gerry_anderson.htm|archive-date=4 February 2012|access-date=23 February 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britmovie.co.uk/forums/british-television/118654-gerry-anderson.html |title=Gerry Anderson - Fan Bio|website=BritMovie.co.uk-forums-british television|date=1 July 2016|access-date=26 July 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816221118/http://www.britmovie.co.uk/forums/british-television/118654-gerry-anderson.html|archive-date=16 August 2016}}</ref>