As his father's military appointments involved frequent changes, the Tedder family's residences also shifted.
He suffered with disabilities in both hearing and eyesight, and was rejected as a candidate for military service in the Second World War.
He studied at Magdalene College, Cambridge, for his undergraduate degree and, owing to the impact of the family tragedies, initially obtained poor grades.
One of his areas of expertise concerned organofluorine chemistry, and he pioneered the use of gas-liquid chromatography at Sheffield University in the 1950s.
In addition to his distinguished work in chemistry, Tedder succeeded his father as baron and served in the House of Lords.
Although he was apparently reluctant to perpetuate the title, he was persuaded by colleagues that the peerage system could benefit by the presence of a scientist and educator.
[4] Tedder maintained a lively interest in the Royal Air Force and attended many honorary functions related to the squadrons in which his father had served.
He then developed Alzheimer's disease, which forced him into retirement, and he was eventually placed in permanent nursing care until his death in 1994.