Her father was Percy Arthur Newman, a shipping clerk and manager of Anglo-Iranian Oil, and her mother was Jessie Bathurst, née Pearce.

Owing to her linguistic talents, she was sent to the secret Bedford Japanese School run by Captain Oswald Tuck RN and completed the 5th course (August 1943 to February 1944).

She was subsequently posted to the Military Wing at the Government Code and Cypher School, Bletchley Park where she worked as part of the Japanese codebreaking team.

[5][6] On 10 August 1945, she married Vyvyan Alexander St Aubyn Hubbard, a major in the Indian Army and architect.

[7] At the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, Newman was part of Great Britain's team in the 10 metre diving event.