Michael Alms was an orthopaedic surgeon in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. He was born Tadashi Kubo in Kyoto, Japan on 29 January 1922. His mother, Naka Kubo (‘Kimi’), was from a samurai family; his father, George Frederick Hill Alms, was a member of the Royal Engineers who went on to become a brig

William Eric Swaney, known as 'Bill' to his colleagues, was head of orthopaedics at Royal Melbourne Hospital. As head of a very busy orthopaedic unit, he mentored many young orthopaedic surgeons and trainees in the early days of the Australian orthopaedic training programme. Bill was born in Foot

Peter Frederick Williams AO FRACS was educated at Melbourne Grammar and graduated in medicine from Melbourne University in 1946. He was an intern at the Royal Melbourne Hospital after which he proceeded to the United Kingdom where he obtained his Fellowship and trained in Orthopaedics at the Robe

Alfred Beck was a consultant trauma and orthopaedic surgeon in Cardiff. He was born in Uhersky Brod, Moravia (now in the Czech Republic), on 28 January 1912. His father, Ignaz, was a wholesale merchant and councillor, from a prominent family in the Jewish community which included rabbis and business

Robert Alexander Bremner was a consultant orthopaedic and trauma surgeon at York County Hospital and then York City General Hospital. He was born in Alloa, Scotland, the son of two schoolteachers. He attended Alloa Academy and then the University of Edinburgh, where he qualified in medicine in 1947.

Hugh Graham Stack was born in Bristol on 7 December 1915, the third son of Edward H E Stack FRCS (*Lives of the Fellows* 2, 340), ophthalmic surgeon to the Bristol Royal Infirmary, and his wife Caroline, née Kennedy. His early education was at Clifton College and whilst there he was awarded the H H