Arnold Katz was born on 10 September 1920 in the town of Benoni in the East Rand, the eldest son of Abe and Anne Katz. His parents were expatriate Lithuanian Jews, and his father was a businessman in the import and export trade, who later moved to Cape Town. Both his parents died at an early age and

David Schlicht was born in Beaufort, Victoria, Australia, on 25 July 1924. His father, Theodore, was a stock and station agent. He studied at Melbourne University and St Vincent's Hospital and gained honours in surgery. He came to Britain to study, and in 1951 he was demonstrator in anatomy at Ca

George Gordon Bruce was born at Aberdeen on 25 August 1891. He was educated at Fordyce Academy and Aberdeen University and was awarded the Keith Gold Medal in surgery, graduating MB ChB Aberdeen in 1915. He then served as a Captain RAMC in France and the Dardanelles and was mentioned in dispatches i

Eardley Lorimer Button was born in London on 9 March 1903 the son of Robert Lorimer, a merchant, and Lilian, née Naylor. He moved with the family to New Zealand at an early age, was educated at Wellington College and the Otago University Medical School qualifying MB ChB in 1925 having represented th

Anthony Frederick Hunter was born in Blackheath, London, and at the age of two emigrated to New Zealand with his parents, both of whom died during his childhood. He was then brought up by an aunt and uncle and educated at Mount Albert Grammar School, King's College, and the University of Otago Medic

Born on 2 October 1901, Crooks graduated in Edinburgh. He moved to London working first as house physician and casualty officer at Great Ormond Street and then, in 1929, as resident medical superintendent. He had taken his FRCS the previous year, and came under the influence of Denis Browne when pae

Professor Jannie Louw was born on 26 May 1915 in Middleburg, South Africa, the son of a schoolmaster who later became a school inspector. He was educated at Rondebosch High School in Cape Town and the University of Cape Town Medical School, where he graduated in 1938 with distinction. After junior a

George Willett was born on 11 February 1933 at Leigh, Lancashire, the son of George Willett, a canon of the Church of England and his wife Beatrice, née Juniper. Willett won a music scholarship at Denstone College and was runner-up in the organ scholarship examination for Gonville and Caius College

Michael was born in Waimate, to Ronald, surgeon, general practitioner and Superintendent of the Waimate Hospital, and Mary Armstrong, a talented amateur artist. Both parents played the violin and from an early age Michael learned the piano and singing. He had a younger sister, Janet who would go on

Bob Zachary was a pioneer of paediatric surgery in the United Kingdom. He was born in Pudsey, near Leeds, on 1 March 1913, the son of Samuel John Zachary, a dentist, and Priscilla Mary née Owen. After a degree in pharmacy, he turned his attention to medicine, entering the medical school at Leeds and

Caroline Doig was a consultant paediatric surgeon in Manchester and the first woman elected to the council of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. She was not easy to miss in a crowded room: firstly, she was tall, but more importantly she had a formidable but likeable presence and was always

Born on 18 November 1887, son of a well know solicitor at Brighton and grandson of the headmaster of Brighton College, he was educated at Brighton College, Christ's College, Cambridge and St Bartholomew's Hospital. After qualification he was house surgeon to Sir Anthony Bowlby at St Bartholomew's an