2nd Lieutenant Paul Hartley Raney (1892–1917) was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on Christmas Day, 25 December 1892, the son of the Hon. William Edgar Raney, KC and Jessie Amelia Raney. He attended West Toronto Public School, St. Andrew's College from 1906 to 1908, and Oakwood Collegiate. He studied Applied Science from 1910 onwards, graduating with a degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Toronto in 1914.