Born in Wallasey, Yates studied locally at St Mary's School before,[1] at the age of seventeen, going to sea, working as a steward.
[2] With the First World War ongoing, he joined the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment.
He married Lillian in 1918 and had four children (Grace known as Win, Les, Doug and Len),[1] soon returning to sea, eventually becoming a head waiter and librarian for the Cunard Line.
[2] He became involved in the National Union of Seamen (NUS), and was made an official in 1928,[2] then a district secretary in 1940, firstly for the south west coast, then a year later for Scotland.
[1] In this post, he was known for his anti-communism,[3] Yates was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1951, and was then knighted in 1959.