Robert Pope Melville was a consultant general and breast surgeon in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He was born at Wollongong, New South Wales on 23 May 1913. One of five children, his father, Hector Pope Melville, a school principal and advocate for education, encouraged his sons and daughters

Alan McKinna was a consultant surgeon at the Royal Marsden Hospital, London. He was born on 13 August 1932 in Nottinghamshire, the youngest son of two GPs, Eva McKinna née Young and Henry Drummond McKinna. His father died suddenly at the age of 40, leaving his mother to bring up her sons while she c

Neil Rothnie was a consultant breast surgeon and medical director of Southend Hospital. He was born into a family with a well-known name in the world of surgery: his father Norman Rothnie, who trained at Barts, was a vascular surgeon at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading and was also chairman o

Ronald Geoffrey Kay was a caring, compassionate surgeon of considerable humility who set high standards of clinical excellence, demonstrating insight and respect for his patients. He was a trusted, respected and valued colleague sought out as a mentor and teacher by many New Zealand surgeons and tra

Michael McBrien was a general surgeon with an interest in urology at the West Suffolk and Newmarket hospitals. He was born on 4 July 1935 in Maidstone, Kent to Leo Patrick McBrien, a general practitioner, and Elizabeth Rosemary McBrien née Phillips, the daughter of a farmer, and had three sisters.

Sir Patrick McEwen Forrest was regius professor of clinical surgery at the University of Edinburgh. Pat, as he was known to all, was a giant of British and international surgery, and his contributions to the management of breast cancer were immense. He was born in Lanarkshire, the son of Andrew

Jerry Gilmore was a consultant general surgeon at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London, where he established the pioneering breast unit. He was born on 27 December 1941, a much-loved son of Owen Dermot Gilmore and Carmel Gilmore née Cantwell. His father was a respected and successful family doctor and