Nathan (Sonny) Garber, the son of Joel Garber, a hotel manager, and of Sara (née Efroiken), was born on 2 June 1902 in Lithuania. He was the oldest of seven children, with four brothers and two sisters, the family having migrated to South Africa in 1904. His early education was at Normal College Sch

John Charles Hislop, son of a well-known Wellington surgeon, was born in Wellington, educated at Christ's College and Edinburgh University. He graduated MB ChB in 1932 and proceeded to take his FRCS in 1938. He had an unusually wide training as a house surgeon, registrar and resident surgeon and thi

Arthur Littlewood Newson was born at Wishpool, Victoria, Australia, on 22 August 1906. He was educated at Caulfield Grammar School and Melbourne University, qualifying MB BS in 1932 and was resident medical officer at the Alfred Hospital. He came to England and worked with Rodney Maingot, obtaining

Edward Harold Walter Gifford was the son of Algernon Charles Gifford, a school- teacher and astronomer, and of Susie Gifford (née Jones). He was born at Wellington, New Zealand, on 26 May 1909 and educated at Roseneath Primary School and Wellington College where he was deputy head prefect, played in

Karmarkar was born in Kolhapur, India, on 19 March 1909, the son of Hari Dattatraya Karmarkar, a general practitioner, and Savitri Hari Karmarkar, a housewife. He was educated at the King George High School, Mudhol, and Deccan College of Arts, Poona, from which he went to study medicine at the Seth

Sydney George Nardell was born in London on 11 April 1913, where his father, Hyman Nardell, was a tailor, and his mother, Millie Rabinowitz, a housewife. He was educated at King's College and St George's Hospital, where he qualified in 1932. After junior posts he won the Hallett prize in the primary

Robert Sutherland Lawson was born in Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia, on 31 May 1908. His father was Sir Harry Sutherland Wightman Lawson, KCMG, Prime Minister of Victoria 1918-24. His mother was a distant relation of Sir James Clark, Physician to Queen Victoria. A younger brother, D F Lawson, is a

Hall, who was often known by the nickname 'Jock', received his medical education at Leeds, qualifying MB ChB in 1931, and gaining the ChM there in 1949, having passed the FRCS examination in 1938. During the second world war he was adviser in surgery to the East African Command. He was resident surg

Eric Wilson McMechan was born on 13 August 1910 in Portaferry, Co Down. He was the third child of John Henry McMechan, a farmer and a local magistrate. He studied at the Methodist College and Queen's University in Belfast and there obtained his MB BCh. Moving to London he worked at St Mark's and the

Makarand Talwalkar was one of a distinguished family of medical practitioners in India; the first of the name to practise medicine could count twenty nine descendants who were medically qualified, of whom eighteen attended Grant Medical College, Bombay, from 1869 onwards. Makarand Talwalkar was b

Robert 'Bobbie' Cox, formerly senior surgeon to the Westminster Hospital, was born in Batu Gajah, Perak, Malaya, on 24 October 1912, the son of Irish parents who came from Cork. His father, Robert, was a doctor, and his mother, Mary Ann neé Cummings, a nurse. At the age of eight, the family relocate

Jack Heselson was born on 4 January 1910 in Cape Town, and after his schooling at Wynberg Boys' High School attended the Univesity of Cape Town, where he graduated BA in 1929 and MB ChB in 1933, obtaining distinctions in the final examination and the degree with honours. After his internship at Some