Peters was born in Bathurst (now Banjul) and moved to Sierra Leone in 1949, where he was educated at the Prince of Wales School, Freetown, gaining his Higher School Certificate in science subjects.
Peters was born in Bathurst (now Banjul) to Lenrie Ernest Ingram Peters and Kezia Rosemary. Lenrie Jr. grew up in Bathurst and moved to Sierra Leone in 1949, where he was educated at the Prince of Wales School, Freetown, gaining his Higher School Certificate in science subjects.