Born at Invercargill, New Zealand on 30 April 1912, son of Wilfred Francis Bisset a newspaper owner and his wife Christina Scott Rew, daughter of Robert Rew an Auckland merchant. He was educated at Invercargill and graduated from Otago Medical School, Dunedin in 1936. After a short time as a house s

George Desmond Cribb was born on 14 August 1917 at Northwood, son of a dental surgeon, and educated at Sherborne and University College Hospital, where he qualified with the Conjoint Diploma in 1939. At the beginning of the second world war he joined the RAMC. Taken prisoner at Dunkirk, he was medic

Athol George Riddell was born in Whitstable on 31 January 1917. He was educated at Folkestone and University College, London, where he gained the Gold Medal in physiology, graduating from University College Hospital Medical School in 1939. After holding a resident surgical post on the Professorial U

Peter Blaxland was very much a family man, with a warm and welcoming manner and an appreciation of the simple pleasures of life. These characteristics concealed a considerable intellectual ability, and gave no hint of his understanding of the problems of surgery, and his gifts, both innate and culti

Owen David Morris, born in Port Madoc, Wales, on 24 February 1916, was the eldest son of John Morris, master mariner, and Mary Jones. He was educated at Port Madoc Grammar School and St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College, where he qualified MRCS LRCP in 1939. He was the twenty-second member of h

Bryan Brooke pioneered the surgical management of inflammatory bowel disease, especially that of ulcerative colitis. He was born on 21 February 1915 in Croydon, the son of a numismatist. Following initial schooling at Bradfield College he went to Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, for which he retai

Denis Ebrill was born in Limerick, Ireland, on 7 March 1916. His father, Charles, was an attorney. His mother was Margaret née Foley. He was educated at St George's College, Weybridge, King's College, London, and St George's Hospital, where he held junior posts and was resident assistant surgeon. He

Noel, as he was known, was born on 21 December 1917 in London, son of F S Glover, a Guy's dental graduate who had come from New Zealand and who was on the staff of the London Hospital. He went to school at Dulwich and entered Guy's Hospital in 1934. He was to serve the hospital 'man and boy' until r

Peter Rees-Davies was born on 23 February 1913 at Long Ditton, Surrey, the son of John Rees-Davies, a general practitioner, and his wife Grace, née Etheredge. He was educated at Epsom College, and then received his medical education at the London Hospital, as had his father before him. In the sec

Paul Stringer was born in London on 5 September 1914, the son of Richard Stringer and Sabina née FitzSimons. He was educated at Holloway County School and then read English language and literature at the University of Southampton, before going on to the Middlesex Hospital. There he won a prize for m

Denis Thompson qualified in Birmingham and after doing house jobs specialised in surgery. He emigrated to Australia where he practiced in Bunbury, Western Australia. He continued to be active until his 80's and was still doing three jobs at the time of his death at the age of 83. He died on a cruise

John Eric Richardson was a consultant surgeon at the London Hospital. He was born on 24 February 1916, to Beatrice née Sharpe and Cecil George Richardson, a general practitioner in Loughborough. He was educated at Clifton, where he played rugby in the 1st XV, and entered the London Hospital Medical