Lord Smith was one of our great presidents. Successive holders of that office have faced many and various challenges, but by any measure the confrontation between the Labour government and the BMA from 1974 to 1975 was a major crisis that threatened the future of consultant practice. Rodney Smith, a

Hugh McDonald was the first consultant general surgeon with the FRCS appointed to Great Yarmouth Hospital, Norfolk, who did not also engage in general practice. He was born in London on 29 May 1914 and went to Guy's Hospital after schooling at Bishop's Stortford. House appointments at St Andrew's Ho

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

James Albert Rhind studied medicine at Leeds University where he graduated MB ChB with first class honours in 1937 and won the William Hey Gold Medal of the University. He worked as resident surgical officer to the Leeds Infirmary and was surgeon specialist in the RAMC during the second world war. H

John Alan East qualified in medicine in 1938 having trained at Guy's Hospital Medical School. He took the Conjoint Diploma in 1937 and the College Fellowship in 1939. He worked as consultant surgeon to the South East Metropolitan Hospitals Board in London. On moving to the USA he became surgeon to t

Denis Westgarth Lacey was born on 14 March 1914. He was educated at the Perse School, Cambridge, and St Edward's School, Oxford, before proceeding to the Middlesex Hospital Medical School where he qualified in 1937. He joined the RAMC in 1939, was taken prisoner at the evacuation of Dunkirk and rema

Born on 17 May 1914 at Wilsden, Yorkshire, George William Vause Greig was educated at Woodhouse Grove School, Apperley Bridge, and graduated in medicine with honours at Leeds in 1937. He joined the RAMC in 1939 and served in the Norway campaign of 1940 and later in India and Burma, attaining the ran

Alan Leask was born in Hong Kong on 19 October 1914. His father, William Laughton Leask, was an architect and civil engineer practising in Aberdeen and Hong Kong. His mother was Mabel née Beaton. His elder brother Laughton Rennie Leask was also a Fellow (qv *Lives of the Fellows* Volume 8, p.186).

After qualifying John Drew joined the Indian Medical Service in which he served until the partition of India in 1948. He then went to become Medical Superintendent of the Fremantle General Hospital, returning to England only to pass the final FRCS. In 1954 he went to the Royal Hobart Hospital first

John Leslie was born in Bath on 22 December 1914. His father, George Herbert Leslie, was a schoolmaster and inspector of schools for the London County Council, having served in the Royal Artillery in the first world war and then with the Army Education Corps. His early education was at Wellington

Arnold Aldis was a consultant surgeon and former postgraduate dean at Cardiff. He was born on 30 September 1910, in Paoning, Szechuan, China, the son of missionary parents. He qualified in medicine (with honours) from University College, London, in 1937. His ambition to return to China was thwarted

George Fairlie-Clarke qualified from St Bartholomew's Hospital in 1938 and after a house surgeon post at Bart's he was resident surgical officer at the Kent and Sussex Hospital, Tunbridge Wells. He retired to Dartmouth where he died on 9 September 2002, aged 89 years.