William Weatherston Wilson, known as 'Bill', was a highly-respected general surgeon who spent his entire consultant career in Lancashire. He was first appointed as an assistant surgeon at the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary, Wigan, in July 1949; he was then 'upgraded' in February 1950 to consultant su

Clarence Stanley Day was born in Toronto on 4 March 1908, the second child and first son of Amy Lillian, nee Gilroy, and Walter Arthur Day. He attended Withrow Public School, Humber Collegiate and Riverdale Collegiate. He studied medicine at the University of Toronto and became chief surgical reside

John Reginald St George Stead was born in Grahamstown, South Africa, on 20 June 1908. His father was William Yewdall Stead, a missionary priest, and his mother, Miriam Peterson, was the daughter of an architect. He was the sixth child in the family and the third boy. He was educated at St Andrew's P

Bob Horton was a consultant surgeon at the United Bristol Hospitals. He was born in south London on 5 July 1917, the son of Arthur John Budd Horton, a schoolteacher, and Isabel Horton née Cotton, the daughter of a master mariner. He was educated at the Haberdashers’ Aske’s School, and studied medici

St John Michael Clive Birt was a consultant general surgeon at Jersey General Hospital. He was born on 12 February 1916. His father, Amelius Cyril Birt, was a general practitioner in Wantage. His mother, Gertrude Isabel Kidd, came from a medical family: many were doctors attached to the London Hospi

The son of Lt-Col A Macgregor Rose DSO, RAMC of Aberdeen, Ian Rose was born on 3 December 1912. He was educated at Oriel College, Oxford, and proceeded to St Bartholomew's Hospital where he graduated in 1937. After qualification he held several resident posts at Bart's and took his MA degree in 1938

Robert Leighton Cooke was a consultant surgeon at the Manitoba Clinic, Winnipeg, Canada. He was born on 19 September 1914 in Wolseley, Saskatchewan, the fourth child of Robert Cooke, a general practitioner, and Ellen Cooke née Sunter, a teacher. He remembered making house calls with his father durin

Paul Savage was a consultant general surgeon at the Whittington Hospital, London. He was born, with his twin sister, on 28 January 1916 in Cambridge, the second son of Sir Edward Graham Savage, the chief education officer of the London County Council, and May Savage née Thwaites, who was a nurse at

Murray Pheils was professor of surgery at the University of Sydney. He was born in Birmingham on 2 December 1917, the younger of the two sons of Elmer Theodore Pheils, an osteopath, and Lilian Mary née Cole. His father Elmer was a colourful character: he was born in Toledo, Ohio, and trained as an o

Romiel Anthonis was the most celebrated Asian surgeon of his day, and a role model to generations of Sri Lankans. He was born in Bambalapitiya, a suburb of Colombo, on 21 January 1911, one of the 16 children of Polwatte Arachchige Michael Anthonis, a master-carpenter, and Hettiarachchige Engaltina P

Graham Smart was a general surgeon at Wairau Hospital, Blenheim, New Zealand. He was born in Croydon, Surrey, on 8 November 1915, the son of Sidney William Smart, a railway executive, and Lilian Smart née Bachelar. He attended elementary school in Croydon and went on to Selhurst Grammar School. As a

Gordon Andrew Barclay was a consultant surgeon in London's East End, at St Andrew's Hospital, Bow, East Ham Memorial Hospital and Queen Mary's Hospital. He was also an honorary lecturer at the London Hospital Medical College. Prior to his consultant appointments, he was a member of a British paedia