Peter Rickham was one of a small group of pioneering surgeons who helped to establish the specialty of paediatric surgery in the UK. He was born in Berlin on 21 June 1917, where his father, Otto Louis Reichenheim, was professor of physics at Berlin University. His mother was Susanne née Huldschinsky

Brian Turbett Smyth was a consultant paediatric surgeon at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children and Ulster Hospital. He was born in Londonderry in Northern Ireland on 2 November 1921, the son of William and Flora West Lindsay Smyth. His father was a merchant. He was educated at Coleraine Aca

Duncan Forrest was a distinguished member of that first generation of paediatric surgeons, most of whom trained at Great Ormond Street in the early years of the National Health Service, who pioneered specialist surgical units in children’s and in general hospitals across the country. Later in life h

Jimmy Lister was an emeritus professor of paediatric surgery at the University of Liverpool and a former vice-president of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. Born in London on 1 March 1923, the son of Thomas Lister, a chartered accountant, and Anna Rebecca Lister, two of his siblings – John

William Giles Manson was a consultant paediatric surgeon at Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, and the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh. He was born on 16 January 1965. He went to Edinburgh University to study medicine, qualifying MB ChB in 1989. He went on to train in surgery in Sheffield, Glas

Valentine Andrew James Swain was a paediatric surgeon in London's East End. He was born on 21 February 1910, a twin, in Ilford, Essex, into a family with a strong medical tradition. His father, James Steel Swain, and grandfather were both doctors. His mother was Mary Blanche née MacMunn. He went fro

Andrew Wilkinson was the first Professor of Paediatric Surgery in the UK and as such received honours in many countries. Although his father was of Scottish extraction he was born in Taunton, Somerset, on 19 April 1914. He was educated locally and then at Weymouth College before going up to Edinburg

Lalit Kumar Sharma was a paediatric surgeon in Rohtak, Haryana, India. He was born on 25 December 1942 in Fatehgarh, Uttar Pradesh, India. His family was from Anupshahr, situated on the banks of the Ganges, where they had large landholdings. His grandfather, Mangal Sen Sharma, was a criminal attorne

Barry O’Donnell was a paediatric surgeon at Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children, Dublin. This is a draft obituary. If you have any information about this surgeon or are interested in writing this obituary, please email lives@rcseng.ac.uk

Reginald Augustus Carpenter was an emeritus professor of surgery at the University of the West Indies, Jamaica.

John Meiring Beck was a consultant paediatric surgeon at Leeds General Infirmary. He was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 10 August 1933. His father, Johannes Henricus Meiring Beck, was a general practitioner; his mother, Mavis Beck née Courtenay, was a legal secretary prior to her marriage. B

Archie Wilmot Middleton studied medicine at Sydney University. After qualifying in 1943, he was RMO at the Repatriation Hospital in Sydney for two years and then registrar at the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children in Sydney for another year. He came to London to specialise in surgery and was regi