Born in Rochdale, Lancashire, on 19 May 1947, Richard Harold Lye's father Vincent was a technical salesman. His mother was Agnes née Ashurst. He was educated at Rochdale Convent Preparatory School, Bury Grammar School for Boys, and Manchester University. There he completed an honours BSc degree in p

John Potter was a consultant neurosurgeon and director of postgraduate education at Oxford. He was born in London on 28 February 1920. His father, Alistair Richardson Potter, was a brewer. His mother was Mairi Chalmers née Dick, a housewife whose father had edited the songs of Robert Burns. He was e

Bernard Fairburn, the son of Lazarus and Leah Fairburn (née Margolin) was born at Christchurch, Hampshire, on 3 August 1916. He was educated at Bec School, Battersea, securing an arts scholarship in 1933 before entering the Middlesex Hospital Medical School in the following year. He qualified MRCS,

Murray Falconer was born in New Zealand in 1910 and received his medical education at Otago University, Dunedin, from where he graduated MB BCh in 1934 and MCh in 1938. He obtained his FRCS in 1935, a year after he graduated. In 1937 he went to the United States as a Fellow in Surgery at the Mayo Cl

James Hamilton was a consultant neurosurgeon at the Midland Centre for Neurosurgery and Neurology, Smethwick, and the United Birmingham Hospitals. He studied medicine at Guy's and qualified in 1947. He gained his FRCS in 1954. Prior to his consultant appointments he was a house physician in the n

Leslie Claremont Oliver was born on 5 February 1909, the son of an engineer. He was educated at Latymer School and Guy's Hospital, London, qualifying in 1933 and proceeding immediately to FRCS in 1935, gaining general surgical experience as registrar, Bristol General Hospital, and as resident assist

Gopal Baratham was a consultant neurosurgeon in Singapore. He was born on 9 September 1935, into a Tamil Brahmin family, originally from southern India, who had moved to Malaya. His father was Dr Baratham Ramaswamy Sreenivasan, one of the founders of the Singapore Medical Association, and the first

Thomas Morley was chairman of neurosurgery at the University of Toronto, Canada. He was born on 13 June 1920 in Manchester, England, to John Morley, professor of surgery at the University of Manchester, and Molly Ogilvie Morley née Simon. At the age of seven, Morley was sent to boarding school in Ox

Andrew Tallala, a neurosurgeon, was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 29 November 1924. His father, Hewage Benjamin Tallala, was an industrialist who married Lily Olga Fernando. There were two older brothers, both of whom served in the RAF in the second world war, the elder being killed flying a Ty

John O'Connell was a consultant neurosurgeon at St Bartholomew's. He was born in Manchester on 16 September 1906, to Irish parents. His father, Thomas Henry O'Connell, was a civil servant. His mother was Catherine Mary née O'Sullivan. He was educated by the Jesuits at Clongowes and later at Wimbledo

Alan Raynor Kirby was a neurosurgeon at the Royal University Hospital, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. He was born in Gosforth, Northumberland on 2 April 1924, the son of Alger Raynor Kirby, a manufacturer’s agent, and Phyllis Barbara Kirby née Hodgkin. He was educated at the Royal Grammar School,

Antony Andrew Jefferson was a consultant neurosurgeon in Sheffield. He was born in Manchester on 13 June 1922 into a family with a well-established medical tradition. His mother, Gertrude May Jefferson née Flumerfelt, was a medical practitioner/psychiatrist and his father, Sir Geoffrey Jefferson, wa