[1] Born in St Kilda, Victoria, Wardell was a member of a large family of ten children, six boys and four girls.
Wardell's father, a Deputy Governor at the Melbourne Mint, had retired in 1915 and had moved into the property known as Clontarf located just outside the Castlemaine city centre.
Wardell did well in his secondary school work and in 1922 he was awarded a Donovan Bursary to continue his studies at Newman College (University of Melbourne).
[4] Like his grandfather, William Wardell, Vincent was a prodigious worker, anxious to get ahead and make a name in professional circles.
Wardell gained a Bachelor of Science degree in 1926 from his time at university and began operating as a metallurgist, sharing rooms in Collins Street, Melbourne with his brother Joseph, a respected wool buyer.