Hyman was born on 13 April 1908 in Whitechapel, London to Belarus born parents Marks and Esther nee Churches and he had five siblings of whom two, Harry and Reuben were born in Belarus before the family moved to England. Marks worked as a tailor of trousers and in 1921 the family lived at 2 John’s Hill in Stepney, London. Marks died in March 1930 and in the 1939 Register, Esther and three of her children, Hyman, Yetta and David are still at the same address. Hyman worked as a fur cutter and was an ARP warden, Yetta was a dressmaker and David worked as a gent’s hairdresser.

Hyman enlisted into the Royal Navy and worked as a sick bay attendant on H.M.S. Pembroke II. Records state that he died at Dieppe during Operation Jubilee.