Robin Downie was a consultant general surgeon in Liverpool. He was born on 2 May 1927 in Hightown, Merseyside, the son of a dentist. He was educated at Holmwood School, Formby, and Shrewsbury, where he excelled at sport. He then carried out his military service, during which time he took a six-month

Stewart Desmond Clarke was a consultant surgeon in Belfast, Kuwait and finally at the King Edward VII Hospital, Midhurst. He was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, the son of Brice Richard Clarke, a doctor, and Doreen Clarke née Cassidy, who worked in catering. He studied medicine at Queen's Univers

John Coals was a consultant surgeon in accident and emergency surgery at Chester Royal Infirmary. He was born in Highbury, London, on 8 February 1930, the son of John Rueben Coals, a shipping agent, and Alice Maud Beatrice née Ensor. He was educated at St Andrew’s Church School and Enfield Grammar S

Robert Pringle was a consultant surgeon in Dundee. He studied medicine in Glasgow, qualifying in 1950, and, after house jobs, completed a four-year short service commission in the RAF, reaching the rank of squadron leader. On leaving the RAF, he specialised in surgery in Glasgow and Newcastle, and

Brian Pearson was a consultant general surgeon in Ilford, London. He could be described in terms of one of his interests: he was like a good wine, he improved over time. Unpretentious, with a soft trace of his Birmingham-derived accent, he had a sly sense of humour, and did not have all his other ma

John Eliot Trapnell was a consultant surgeon in Bournemouth with a special interest in the pancreas. He was born in Bristol on 25 April 1930, the son of Eliot Trapnell, a solicitor, and Ruth Manson Trapnell née Fells, a domestic science teacher whose father had been a medical missionary and a surgeo

Kamal Tewfik Said gained his FRCS in 1961. His last known address was in Cairo, Egypt. He died on 15 May 2012.

Paul Rosswick was a consultant surgeon at St George's Hospital, London. He was born in London on 1 June 1932, the son of John Rosswick, an advertising director, and Phoebe Rosswick née Fagin, a housewife. He attended Malvern College from 1945 to 1950 and then studied medicine at London Hospital Medi

Vithal Gangadhar Phansalkar was a general surgeon in Bijapur district in Karnataka state, India. His father, Gangadhar Sakharam Phansalkar, was a general practitioner in Phaltan, Maharashtra. His mother Girija died when he was three years old and his father passed away when he was 17 and just about

Ajay Kanti Poddar was a consultant surgeon in South Australia. He was born in Pabna, in what was then India, on 1 July 1932. His father, Krishna Mohan Poddar, was a manager of a jute company; his mother, Jnanada Sundari Poddar née Saha, was a housewife. He attended the Hindu School, Calcutta and the

John Wasley Smith MB BS Adelaide, FRCS ED, FRCS, FRACS (Hon 1979) and OAM, was born in Adelaide. He attended Adelaide High School where he won a scholarship to Adelaide University, graduating in 1953. After graduating John travelled to the United Kingdom with his wife Joan and their young family of

John Robb was a consultant surgeon at Route Hospital, Ballymoney, Northern Ireland. Born on 24 February 1932 in Downpatrick, County Down, he was the son of John Charles Robb, a general practitioner, and his wife Jessie Bannatyne née Wilson. Her father, a judge, had been the last Solicitor-General of