Eric John Smith was a consultant surgeon at the Royal Free Hospital, London. He was born on 31 March 1910 in Norwood, Surrey, the second son of Robert Percy and Edith Smith. His early life was overshadowed by the death from Hodgkin’s disease of his elder brother who had been a child prodigy, and Eri

David Owen Davies was a consultant surgeon to the Epsom group of hospitals. He was born in Hampstead, London, on 17 June 1909. His father, Frederick Moses Davies, was a bank official. His mother was Amy Maude Mary Flanders. Educated at St Olave's Grammar School, Tower Bridge, he went to St Bartholom

Gerald De Lacey was born 2 December 1910 at Dowlais in South Wales and did his preclinical studies at the University of Wales, going to the London Hospital in 1930. He was surgical dresser to Sir Henry Souttar, Alan Perry, Russell Howard and George Neligan, and clinical clerk to Sir John Parkinson a

David Rowlands studied medicine at University College Hospital and qualified with the conjoint diploma in 1933. He served in the Royal Army Medical Corps in Europe throughout the second world war and then embarked on a long career in the Taunton area. He was on the staff of Taunton and Somerset H

Donald McGavin was a general surgeon at Leicester Royal Infirmary. He was born on 23 September 1906 in Wellington, New Zealand, the son of Mary Allan née Chapple and Major General Sir Donald Johnstone McGavin, FRCS, who had been director general of the New Zealand Army Medical Services at the end of

William Henry Daines Trubshaw was born in Johannesburg in 1908, his father having gone to South Africa during the Boer War and became headmaster of the Mayfair School in Johannesburg. Trubshaw went to King Edward's School and Houghton College, Johannesburg and then came to St Bartholomew's Hospital

George Qvist was born on 13 August 1910, in London, the third son of Emil Qvist, a bookseller, and his wife Emily. After education at Quintin School he entered University College, London, for his preclinical studies and was elected Bucknill Scholar at University College Hospital. He was awarded the

Richard Sampson (Dick) Handley was born in London on 2 May 1909, the eldest son of William Sampson Handley and Muriel Rigby, the daughter of the Reverend Clayton Rigby. Dick's father was on the surgical staff of the Middlesex Hospital, a member of both the Council and Court of Examiners of the Colle

Francis William Shepherd, who was born in Nottingham on 6 December 1906, grew up in Castletown, Isle of Man. With a London BSc he studied medicine at Cambridge and St Bartholomew's Hospital. After holding posts in Hampstead and Ilford he was appointed RSO at Huddersfield in 1938 and, it is said, ser

Popatlal Premchand Sheth was living in Ahmedabad, India, at the time of his death which, according to his son K P Sheth, took place sometime in 1978 or 1979.

Cecil Murray was born in Alexandria on 8 January 1910 and was educated at King's College Canterbury and the Middlesex Hospital Medical School, qualifying MRCS LRCP in 1933 and MB BS two years later. As a lieutenant colonel surgical specialist in the RAMC he had a distinguished war record in North

William Rotherham Hunter was born in Skelmersdale, near Ormskirk, on 18 February 1911, and was educated at Ormskirk Grammar School and the University of Liverpool, graduating MB BCh in 1933. He took the Conjoint Diploma the same year, and after junior posts at the David Lewis Northern Hospital, and