Alfred Jules Ayer entered the world on the 29th of October 1910 in St John's Wood, a district in north west London.
Ayer presented the verification principle as the only valid basis for philosophical inquiry requiring statements to be verified logically or empirically.
Ayer served as an officer in the Welsh Guards regiment working within both the Special Operations Executive and MI6 agencies during the conflict.
He received a knighthood as Knight Bachelor announced in the London Gazette on the 1st of January 1970.
His heart stopped for four minutes after choking on smoked salmon during this event leading him to write about a near-death experience.