Godfrey Ellis Miles [commonly known as Ellis Miles] was born in Stamford, Lincolnshire, England on 7 July 1919. After service in the Army during the Second World War, he trained and qualified as an architect. He was elected an Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects (ARIBA) in 1949. He subsequently practised both as an architect and as an industrial designer. The address of his practice was given as 3 Albany Terrace, Marylebone Road, London in 1951 Miles was a member of the Design Research Unit and with Misha Black redesigned the conference room at the headquarters of the Drapers' Chamber of Trade in Harley Street, London, and designed an office and showroom for Expanded Rubber Company Ltd. Miles was involved as a designer in the Festival of Britain in 1951, and was in charge of British Rail's corporate design, where he was responsible for everything, from lettering to the interiors of railway carriages.