John Roland Grimoldby was born in Sheffield on 2 April 1912, the son of Edward John Grimoldby, a gentleman's outfitter, and Edith (née Woodcock). He was educated at Barnsley and District Holgate Grammar School and the University of Sheffield. He graduated BSc with first class honours in 1933 before

William Girdwood was born in Johannesburg on 25 May 1913, the son of William, a general practitioner and FRCS Edinburgh. Two uncles and his grandfather were all doctors, training in Edinburgh. After Grey High School, Port Elizabeth, William entered Witwatersrand University and won the South African

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

Donald McIntosh received his medical education at the University of Edinburgh, qualifying MB ChB there in 1936, and was awarded the University's MD in 1942. He gained the Edinburgh Fellowship in 1939 and the English Fellowship in 1947. During the second world war he served in the RAMC with the rank

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

Ernest Wells Grahame came from South-West Scotland graduating in Glasgow in 1926. After a short spell in general practice, he decided to concentrate on surgery. He became surgeon and medical superintendent to Middlesborough General Hospital in 1947 where he worked for the rest of his career. The war

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

Henry Moore was born in Fiji in 1912, and graduated MB BS from Sydney in 1937. Following graduation he came to Britain with two research fellowships in 1938. He served in the RAMC throughout the war in the Middle East, Italy and Western Europe, and was awarded the MC in Belgium (for 'liberating a ca

Butler was born on 12 September 1916 and educated at Bristol University, graduating with honours in medicine and surgery in 1940. As the second world war was in progress he was immediately commissioned in the RAMC and was posted to India. After the war he held resident posts at Bristol Royal Infirma

Robert Ellis Gibbins was born in Birmingham on 29 July 1914, the son of David Gibbins, an engineer, and his wife Ethel Emilie, née Rohrbach. He was educated at a number of different schools and at Birmingham University Medical School, where he qualified MB ChB in 1938. After resident jobs at the Que