Robert Harris was born in Wales to a family with a long military tradition. He left home to attend military academy where he was given the nickname “Tank” by fellow rugby players due to his size. He failed to graduate after refusing to divulge information regarding an incident he witnessed involving a student prank played on a disliked member of the faculty. He joined the Royal Artillery shortly after. Harris earned a reputation as an excellent planner and was well respected despite his quiet disposition. After impressing further as a volunteer with the British Commandos he was recruited into the Mad Devils after his heroic actions during a joint mission between British and Canadian forces where he saw the results first hand of German occult experiments.