Joseph Thambiah Motha was an orthopaedic surgeon in West Suffolk Hospital, Bury St Edmunds. He was born in Trivandrum, Kerala, India on 13 January 1947, the sixth child and fifth son of Vincent Motha, a businessman, and Philomena Motha. His father died when he was just three months old and Motha was

Michael Francis Pilcher was a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at the London Hospital. He was born on 4 October 1916 in Ealing, west London, the youngest of the seven children of Thorold Sturtevant Pilcher, a manufacturer, and Helena Pilcher née Neilson. His older brother, Robin Sturtevant Pilcher, be

Basil Helal was an orthopaedic surgeon at Enfield, as well as at the London and Royal National Orthopaedic hospitals. He was born in Cairo on 28 October 1927, the son of Ibrahim Helal, director general of the state railways, and Helena née Sommerville. He was educated at the English School in Cairo,

George Welch was a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Raigmore Hospital, Inverness. He was born in Edinburgh on 5 August 1935, the son of George Welch, an actuary, and Unie Macpherson. The family, including his brother David (who became a GP in Norwich), moved to Surrey early in George’s life. His ch

Alf Nachemson was one of the giants of his generation in the now recognised and developing specialty of orthopaedic spinal surgery. He spent a year or more in the USA, involved in editorial work and research, particularly at Boston, and remained a popular figure at American spinal conferences, where

Martin Lowy was an orthopaedic surgeon at the Whittington Hospital, London. He was born in Aussig, Czechoslovakia, on 12 December 1933, the son of Julius Lowy, a general practitioner, and Helen Lowy née Wagner. He survived three years in a concentration camp and went to the UK at the age of 11 with

Frantz Langlais was chairman of the orthopaedic department at University Hospital Sud, Rennes, France. He was born in 1942 in Plouër-sur-Rance, Brittany, the son of a general practitioner. He trained in orthopaedic surgery in Paris under Robert Merle d'Aubigné, Jean Gossett and Michel Postel, and th

Edmund Shephard was consultant orthopaedic surgeon at the West Kent General Hospital in Maidstone. Born on 14 May 1914, he studied medicine at Oxford University and St Bartholomew's Hospital qualifying BM BCh in 1942 and passing the fellowship of the College in 1951. He became chief assistant in the

Andrew Philip Thomas was a consultant orthopaedic surgeon in Wolverhampton. He was educated at Dulwich College, where his father was a housemaster, and then Selwyn College, Cambridge, and St Thomas' Medical School. After qualifying in 1976, he trained in surgery, mainly at St Mary's Hospital, Londo

David Harding-Jones was an orthopaedic surgeon in Carmarthen, Wales. He was born in Stratford, East London, on 3 August 1936, one of a pair of identical twins. His father, William, was a Presbyterian minister. His mother was Gertrude Alice née Roberts. He was educated at Bancroft's School, Woodford

John Valentine Todd was a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Newcastle Hospital and the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle. He was born in either 1912 or 1913 and studied medicine at Durham University, qualifying MB BS in 1935 and proceeded to Liverpool to specialise in orthopaedics. He was consulta

Donald James Tuffley was a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at the Royal Brisbane Hospital. He was born in Atherton, Queensland, Australia, the son of Henry Joseph Tuffley, a bank manager, and Winifred Tuffley née Cochrane. He was educated at Mackay High School and Toowoomba Grammar School. He then wo