Cyril Mann was born in London on May 28, 1911. He spent most of his childhood in Nottingham where, at 14, he was the youngest boy at the time to be awarded a scholarship to study at the Nottingham School of Art. He left for Canada two years later initially hoping to become a missionary.

After giving up religion and while working at various jobs in British Columbia - including mining, logging and printing - Mann was inspired by the beauty of the landscape to start painting again.

In Vancouver he met Arthur Lismer, a painter originally from Sheffield who was a member of the Canadian Group of Seven. Lismer advised the young man to return to England and continue his art studies there.