Douglas Robert Leslie was a general surgeon at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. Born in Hitchin, Hertfordshire on 23 February 1914, he was the third child and second son of the Reverend Ernest Thomas Leslie, who was an Anglican priest, and his wife Margaret Jane (Jenny) née Maggs. After starting his ed

William Skyrme Rees was a surgeon based in Sydney, Australia who specialised in the surgical treatment of pain. He was born on 23 October 1912 in Pembroke Dock, Pembrokeshire, Wales. His father, William George Rees, was a master baker, a founding shareholder of the Alvis Motor Company in Coventry an

Thomas Henry Cullen (Tom) was born on 6 February 1917 in Kelvedon, Essex. A farmer’s son, he was born and brought up on Clarke’s Farm. Educated at Colchester Grammar School, he opted to study medicine as farming in Essex was not particularly productive in the 1930s. He entered the Middlesex Hospital

Arsene Klidjian was born in Alexandria, Egypt, on 22 April 1918. His father, Karnig Klidjian, was a pharmacist and among those who had fled Armenia in the Turkish massacres. Arsene was educated at Victoria College. His elder brother was expected to help run the family business, but Arsene was sent t

Muriel Crouch was a consultant surgeon at the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital, the South London Hospital for Women and Children and Mount Vernon Hospital. She was one of the early female surgeons whose faith as a committed Christian pervaded all that she did. Born in 1914 into a Christian ho

Kenneth Whittle Martin, known as 'Poppy' to his family, was a general surgeon in Worthing with an interest in urology. He came from a long line of doctors dating back to at least 1774. He was born on 18 July 1917 in Singapore, the son of William Whittle Martin, an army ENT surgeon, and his wife Kati

James Stewart McConnachie, known as ‘Monty’, was a consultant surgeon at Tredegar and Nevill Hall hospitals. He was born in Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, Scotland on 8 October 1913 into a medical family. His father was James Stewart McConnachie, his mother, Mary Watson Reiach. He studied medicine in A

Kenneth Herbert Taylor was born on 7 August 1915, the fourth in a line of a family of doctors, and was educated at Epsom College and St Thomas's Hospital, graduating in 1938. At the outbreak of the second world war he joined the RAMC and served with the Welsh Guards during the evacuation from Dunkir

David Annis was a consultant surgeon at Liverpool's Royal Infirmary. His father was a Polish Jew who emigrated from England to Canada and served with distinction in the Canadian Army during the first world war, being decorated for his conduct at Vimy Ridge. After the war, he returned to England to s

William Bullock was born in Toxteth, Liverpool, on 6 October 1908, the son of Albert Edward Bullock, an engineer. He was educated at Liverpool Collegiate School before entering the University of Liverpool Medical School. He qualified in 1932 with first class honours and subsequently served in junior

Joseph Arthur Russell Johnson was born on 30 December 1913 and his early education was at King Edward VII School in Birmingham, where he was a foundation scholar. He entered Birmingham University for his medical studies, graduating in 1936 and subsequently serving as house officer in his teaching ho

Born on 31 December 1917, Baron was educated at Oundle, Trinity College, Cambridge and St Bartholomew's Hospital. During the second world war he served as a captain in the Royal Army Medical Corps in Burma and the Far East. After the war he was a registrar at the Hammersmith Hospital and research fe