Francis Cahill was a general surgeon at St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne. He was born in Melbourne on 1 July 1914 and was educated at St Brendan's Catholic Primary School in Flemington and at St Patrick's College in East Melbourne. At 15 he began to study medicine at Melbourne University, qualifying in 1935 at the age of just 21. He was a resident at St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, and was awarded the Michael Ryan scholarship in surgery. Cahill then travelled to London for further studies at Guy's Hospital, gaining his FRCS in 1939. He returned to Melbourne and was appointed as a surgical clinical assistant (outpatients) at St Vincent's in March 1939. In February 1941, he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Forces, was appointed as a captain (medical officer) in the 2/9 Field Ambulance and deployed to the east coast of Malaya. A year later, he became a prisoner of war and was incarcerated on Singapore Island. In April 1943, Cahill was one of 10 Australian medical officers who were sent to Thailand as part of 'F Force', a party of 7,000 POWs made up of 3,400 British and 3,600 Australians. This Force endured a long train trip to Thailand and were then made to march north for about 270 kilometres towards the Burma border. Cahill later moved with the sick to Tanbaya Hospital Camp in Burma, where he was the only surgeon. After the Burma Railway became operational, Cahill remained at Tanbaya to care for the sick and dying, but later moved into Thailand and then back to Singapore. He was liberated from Changi Camp on 14 September 1945 and repatriated to Australia. In November 1945, he returned to his post as a clinical assistant at St Vincent's. A month later, he was awarded his FRACS. In April 1946, he was appointed as a surgeon to the outpatients at St Vincent's and worked in an honorary capacity until 1956, when he became a surgeon for inpatients. He resigned in August 1961. From 1946 to 1960 he also had a private practice in Melbourne. In 1962, he became a general practitioner in Hughesdale. Victoria. He was later a medical officer for the Victorian Railways, retiring in 1978. In February 1941, he married Marjorie Mary Atchison, a nurse. They had six children - Peter, Mary, Anna, Eileen, Frank and Stephen. Frank Cahill died on 2 September 1989 in San Remo, Victoria. He was 75.