[1] Born at Penleigh House, Westbury, Wiltshire in England,[2] Boyd received his artistic training from his parents and at the National Gallery Art School.

Her father had been Director of the Queensland Department of Public Instruction, her brother Arthur was a prominent doctor, and her eldest sister Maud was of one of the first women to graduate with a B.A.

Like his brothers Martin and Merric, he served in France during World War I but he was gassed at Ypres in 1917 (which left him with lasting physical problems) and he was invalided back to England and repatriated to Australia in March 1918.

Penleigh took his family with him to England late in the year to pick paintings but returned to Australia without them in June 1923 to set up the exhibition, which was staged in Sydney and Melbourne in July–August.

Possibly as a result of his involvement in the exhibition, Penleigh grew disillusioned with his recent work, and he destroyed many of his lesser paintings and sold some of his better ones, realising £2500.

During his wife's absence he carried on an open affair with Minna Schuler, daughter of the editor of The Age but shortly before Edith and the children returned he bought back "The Robins" as well as purchasing a new Hudson car.