[1][2][3] Born on 20 November 1905, Saint came from a family of miners, including his father, whom he joined working in an accident-prone mine at Hebburn at the age of 14 after leaving school.

[5] This left him unemployed in the era of the Great Depression,[4] though Saint also earned money by giving music lessons and performing in a dance orchestra.

[1] After his initial recruitment, the League gave Saint an animal refuge, which was simply a shed in his backyard with kennels and veterinary equipment.

Saint became known to locals as "the poor people's vet", and would humanely euthanize sick and dying pets upon request, free of charge.

Saint was a heavy smoker of Woodbine cigarettes on top of suffering from chronic industrial disease, contributing to his death at the age of 45.