Stanley was born on 4 December 1898 at Strand on the Green, London to Victor and Rachel nee Barnett and had five siblings. In 1911 the family were living in Hornsey and Victor was listed as a company law expert. At the age of sixteen Stanley enlisted in the East Anglian Royal Engineers as a bugler after advising that he was nineteen. He was sent home when his true age became known.

In 1922, Stanley married Dora Lighter whose family originated from Grodno in Belarus. They did not have children. Records state that Stanley enlisted as a reserve in the RAF in 1925. In 1939 Stanley and Dora were living at 48 Howitt Road, Hampstead. Dora was a school teacher and Stanley is listed as a corporal in the RAF Balloon Branch.

Stanley died 24 January 1946 in Westminster Hospital. His death certificate states his cause of death was: ‘1a Respiratory Failure, b Carcinoma of Bronchus.’