John Blair Logan Taylor was born in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, on 13 June 1923, the son of John Binnie Taylor, a GP, and his wife, Margaret Godfrey Logan. He received his early education first at the Glasgow Academy and later at Manchester Grammar School. He entered the Manchester University Medical S

Brian McEvedy was a consultant in general surgery at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. He was born in Manchester on 13 December 1923, the second of three medical sons of Peter McEvedy of Ancoats Hospital, one of the great names in hernia surgery. His mother was Lilian Grace née Denn

George Pestell was born in Perth, Western Australia, on 17 March 1921. His father George was a bank manager. His mother was Lilian May née Parker. One of his ancestors was the loyalist poet and chaplain to King Charles 1st, Thomas Pestell, and another, Paul Pestell, helped to start the Decembrist Re

Edward Barker, or 'Edoo', was born in Johannesburg in 1926 and came to England to specialise in surgery. Having passed the FRCS he returned to South Africa in 1959, working for a time in private practice before returning to full-time academic work in the University of Natal in 1991. There he did res

Venner received his medical education at Adelaide University, where he qualified MB BS in 1946. He gained the Melbourne MS in 1951. After qualification, Venner was resident medical officer at the Royal Adelaide Hospital before serving as a captain with the Australian Army Medical Corps from 1947

William Douglas Friend was visiting surgeon at the Royal Brisbane Hospital. He was born on 22 September 1924, in Brisbane, where his father Percy Alfred Friend was a sheep-farmer. His mother, Dorothy Frances, née Webb, had served as a staff nurse with the 2nd Australian General Hospital in Egypt and

Alexander Gordon Moffoot was a general surgeon in British Columbia, Canada. He was born in Edinburgh on 24 April 1923, the son of George Roberston Moffoot, a dental surgeon, and Doris Hilda née Jobey. His brother followed in his father’s footsteps to become a dentist, but after attending Yarm Gramma

Louis Blumberg was a consultant surgeon in Cape Town and a respected medical historian. He was born in 1920 and educated in Cape Town, where he graduated in 1944. He went to England to specialise in surgery, passed the FRCS, and returned to South Africa, developing a private practice in Cape Town

Guan Bee Ong, or ‘G B’ as he was known to his many friends and colleagues throughout the world, was a pioneering surgeon in Hong Kong. In the many tributes following his death, he was described as “a giant among surgeons”, “a craftsman, innovator and statesman” and “a far-sighted and dynamic leader”

Aziz Shukri was a professor of surgery in Baghdad, Iraq. He graduated from Baghdad College of Medicine in 1946, at a time when that university was widely esteemed for its high standards. He was inspired by Lindsay Rogers to take up surgery, and went to London, completing posts at Hammersmith, Guy’s,

Ian Ranger was a true general surgeon who worked in the United Norwich Hospitals from 1967 to 1988. He was the son of William Ranger and Hatton Thomasina née Grigg. His father had been a schoolmaster, army officer and businessman, who emigrated to Australia in 1920, where Ian and his brother (Sir) D

Harold Fishbone was a surgeon who worked at the Brooklyn-Cumberland Medical Centre, New York and was a Professor of Surgery at State University of New York. He qualified MB BS in London in 1946 and passed the Fellowship in 1952. He moved to New York and was awarded the Fellowship of the American Col