Green-Wilkinson was born on 7 May 1913 in the Rectory at Aston Tirrold, the second of five children – Deborah, Oliver, Prudence, Hilaré and John. His father was Lumley Green-Wilkinson, the younger son of LtGen Frederick Green-Wilkinson CB, Colonel of the Ox & Bucks Light Infantry in the early 1900s; he had served with the 42nd Highland Regiment, The Black Watch, in the Crimea and the Indian Mutiny. The name Wilkinson was added in 1808, when Wilkinson left his inheritance to Green. Lumley was a private in the City Imperial Volunteers in the Boer War. His mother Myfanwy was the only daughter of Sir Francis Edwards, 1st Baronet, quondam Liberal MP for Radnorshire; she was a niece of Alfred Edwards, first Archbishop of Wales and Bishop of St Asaph. His sister Constance Hilaré Myfanwy, aka Hilaré, married Robert Ryder, VC on 26 April 1941. They had two children, Lisle Robert Dudley Ryder and the painter Susan Myfanwy Prudence Ryder, RP, NEAC.
Education
Green-Wilkinson was educated at Farnborough Primary School from 12 April 1922. He passed his Common Entrance exam and became a boarder in Sheepshank's House at Eton College in September 1926. In July 1928 his housemaster A.J. Sheepshank wrote of him, "It is hard to keep pace with the number of prizes he gains." The following month he won 3rd prize on his horse at the Knighton Show, and also won the Birchall Prize. On 4 June 1932 he rowed in the Thetis boat. Green-Wilkinson wet up to Magdalen College, Oxford on 6 October 1932. He was Stroke on the College's 2nd boat, and was a substitute for the "A" boat. He also acted on stage. In his last year, Green-Wilkinson was President of Magdalen College's Junior Common Room.
Africa
After coming down from Oxford, Green-Wilkinson spent ten months in Africa, five of them working on a farm at Makeni, 10 miles south of Lusaka.
Military service
On 15 November 1939, Green-Wilkinson joined the Ox & Bucks Light Infantry as a private. This was the regiment of which his father's father had been Colonel 40 years before.
Death
He was being driven back the 400 miles from Katete to Lusaka by a very steady African driver who had frequently driven him long distances. As was quite usual, Green-Wilkinson decided to do some work during the journey, and retrieved for his briefcase from the back seat. As he reached for his seat-belt, a tyre burst, the car swerved, Green-Wilkinson was thrown out of the car, and his head hit a tree.
