Eric Musard Nanson was born in Geraldine, South Canterbury, New Zealand, on 4 January 1915, the youngest of five children of Gerald Bouchier Nanson, an Anglican vicar and Gertrude Florence (née Bell). His early education was at the Cathedral Grammar School, Christchurch and at Christ's College, Chri

Kenneth Richard Archer was born in Auckland, New Zealand, on 6 November 1915. His father, John Albert Archer, was in the New Zealand Public Works Department, and his mother, Elsie Mary, was a secretary and housewife. He was educated at Belmont Primary School in Auckland, and then Takapuna Grammar Sc

Alfred Mark Abrahams was born on 30 December 1912 in Norwich, the third son of Herman Abrahams, minister of religion, and Zelda. He was educated at Holy Trinity School and King George V Grammar School Southport, from where he was the first boy to win a Southport Borough Scholarship and the Robert Ge

David Aiken qualified in Dublin in 1940 and retained a home in Londonderry all his life. He became a Fellow of the College in 1947 and practised in the Sheffield area. After holding posts as senior surgical registrar at the United Sheffield Hospital and resident surgical officer for the Christie Hos

Richard Pomfret Jepson was born in Whalley, Lancashire, on 15 February 1918, the son of Mr W N and Mrs L E Jepson. He was educated at St Mary's Grammar School, Clitheroe, and at Manchester University where he won colours for cricket, soccer and golf. He graduated in 1941 and after early house appoin

Jean Sandel was born towards the end of 1916, her parents' only child, in the small community of Taumarunui, twenty-five miles west of Lake Taupo in the centre of the North Island of New Zealand. She was educated at the Girls' High School, New Plymouth (on the coast, sixty miles west of her home), b

Leslie Peter Clark was born in New Zealand in 1909 and after early education entered Otago Medical School. He qualified in 1914 and two years later came to England where he undertook house officer appointments at All Saints' Hospital and the West London Hospital. At the outbreak of war he was on the

Ernest Thom McCartney was born in Coleraine, Northern Ireland, the son of Robert McCartney, a chemist, and his wife, Kathleen, née Thom. He was educated at Coleraine Institute and Trinity College, Dublin, where he studied medicine. He went on to training posts at Victoria Central Hospital, Wallasey,

Stanley Thomas McCollum was a former President of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. He was born in Athboy, County Meath, on 3 May 1918, where his father, Thomas, was a farmer. His mother was Violet née Roe. From the National School, Athboy, he entered Trinity College, Dublin, where he won th

Thomas Miller (Tom) was born in Fielding, New Zealand, on 24 September 1917, the third son of Thomas Miller, a Presbyterian minister and Marion Meiklem née Strang, the daughter of a sea captain who became marine superintendent of the Union Castle Line. He was educated at the Otago Boys High School a

Lucien Noel Bartholomeusz was born on 25 December 1910 in Colombo, Ceylon, the son of Hugh William Bartholomeusz, a barrister-at-law, and Alice Maude Jansz. He was educated at the Royal College, Colombo, and entered Ceylon Medical College on 29 April 1929 where he was a distinguished student, being

Boris Lewin was born in Poland in 1913 and graduated at Cape Town in 1938. He then held house appointments at King Edward VIII Hospital in Durban and joined the South African Army Medical Corps on the outbreak of war. He was posted to a field ambulance in Egypt and shortly afterwards became a prison