David Hepburn Craighead was born on 18 December 1918, in Benoni, in what was known as the Transvaal Province (Gauteng). He was born to parents of English and Scottish descent. His father, who worked as a mine manager passed away when Craighead was 11 years old. He went to Christian Brothers College in Kimberley where upon completion he enrolled to study a Bachelor of Science (BSc.) degree at the University of Witwatersrand from 1936-1938.