VF Eberle was educated at Clifton College and Trinity College, Oxford, where he read English. A member of the Royal Engineer Volunteers whilst in the OTC at Clifton - and coming from an oil industry background, in which he was working in the family firm at the outbreak of the War - his choice of arm is perhaps not so surprising.

He was a keen sportsman, most notably rugby, and he retained close connections with both Bristol and Gloucestershire rugby clubs for the rest of his life.