William Cox-Ife was born in 1903. As a young man, he studied at the Royal Academy of Music, becoming a celebrated conductor. Initially working in musical theatre, by the 1930s Cox-Ife became involved with the fledgling British Broadcasting Company. He is credited as a conductor on many early BBC productions in both radio and television. During WWII, he served in the Intelligence Corps, before returning to conductorship in 1945. From 1950 to 1961, he was a member of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, noted for their year-round production of Gilbert and Sullivan operas. Cox-Ife died on the 24th of March 1968, one of 61 fatalities when Aer Lingus Flight 712 crashed into the Irish Sea. The cause of the crash is still undetermined.