John Howkins was a gynaecological surgeon at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London. He was born in Hartlepool, County Durham, on 17 December 1907, the son of John Drysdale Howkins, a civil engineer, and Helen Louise née Greenwood, the daughter of a bank manager. He was educated at Cargilfield Preparator

Henry Harron Thomson was a consultant gynaecologist at Central Middlesex Hospital and Willesden General Hospital, London. He studied medicine at St George's Hospital Medical School, London, qualifying MB BS and MRCS LRCP in 1952. Prior to his consultant appointments he was a house surgeon at St Geo

Alec Graeme ‘Chick’ Bond was a gynaecologist in Melbourne, Australia. He was born in Geelong, Victoria, on 18 September 1926, the son of Alec William Bond, a civil engineer, and May née Webb, the daughter of a grazier. He was educated at Wesley College, Melbourne, and then went on to Melbourne Unive

Beatrice Dobbie was born on 5 July 1903 at Sutton Coldfield in Warwickshire, the second daughter of John Edward Willmott, a company secretary, and his wife Florence, née Grannidge. She was educated at Devon Lodge, Sutton Coldfield, King Edward VI High School, Birmingham, and subsequently at Girton C

Graeme McLeish was born in Melbourne on 6 June 1930. His father, Roderick Simpson McLeish, was a salesman and his mother was Doris, née Hague. From Spring Road School he gained a scholarship to Scotch College, Melbourne, where he was Dux of the school in 1947 and school captain in 1948. He held RMO

Bryce Blair was born on 31 March 1911. He received his medical education at St Thomas's Hospital, where he was senior obstetric house physician. Later he was a senior registrar at the Postgraduate Medical School, Hammersmith. He was subsequently appointed as a consultant gynaecologist at the Royal U

After qualifying in Sri Lanka (then called Ceylon), Hiary Kumarasinghe worked as a house officer in the General Hospital for four years and then as a registrar in the University Hospital, before going to England to specialise in surgery in 1964. He did junior posts at the Chelmsford and Essex Hospit

Peter Diggory was a consultant gynaecologist at Kingston and the Royal Marsden, who, as medical adviser to the Liberal MP David Steel, played a significant role in the passing of the Abortion Act in 1967. He was born in Titley, Herefordshire, the fourth child of Edwin Ernest Diggory, a stationmaster

Born on October 11th, 1839, at Wolverhampton, where his ancestors dwelt for many generations. He received his education at Brewood Grammar School and in Paris, and in 1856 began serving his apprenticeship to the profession as assistant to J J Hadley, whose extensive practice lay in the Ashted distri

Margaret Moore White was born in Derby on 5 February 1902, the daughter of Henry Thomas White, a civil engineer and his wife Adriana, née McBean. Her early education was at Belmont School, Derby, but when she was 13 years old the family moved to London and until the age of 17 she went to the Tremart

Fourness Henry Simmons was born in Watchet, Somerset. He changed his name in 1891. He was educated in Britain and at Edinburgh University, where he was Dunlop scholar 1883 and Buchanan scholar 1884 and took honours at his qualification. He served as junior assistant to the professor of midwifery and

Born on 22 September 1908 at 11 Barrington Road, Crouch End, N, the eldest of the five children of Frank Ernest Todd, civil servant and principal inspector of taxes, and Margaret Mary Shearman, his wife. He was educated at Prior Park School, Bath, and from there proceeded to Guy's Hospital, taking h