Robin Ling, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at the Princess Elizabeth Orthopaedic Hospital and Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, was an innovative hip surgeon; his ‘Exeter hip system’ improved the lives of millions of people worldwide. He was born in London on 7 September 1927, the son of William Ha

Pamela Mary Spencer née Bacon was a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at the Whittington Hospital, London. She was born in London, in Dulwich, the daughter of Leonard Guy Bacon, a civil servant who had served as a bomber pilot in the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War, and Edith M

John Fairgrieve was a consultant vascular and general surgeon in Cheltenham who, in his youth, was an outstanding sprinter representing Great Britain in the 1948 Olympic Games and reaching the quarter final in the 200m. Although John was English, being born in London, he had Scottish roots as bot

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

Norman Winstone was a consultant surgeon at Selly Oak, Birmingham. He was born in Gidea Park, Essex, on 8 February 1924, the son of Herbert Charles Winstone, a property manager, and Kate née Robinson, a policeman's daughter. He was educated at Gidea Park College and Romford Royal Liberty School, bef

John William Goodfellow, or 'JWG' as he was widely known, was a consultant surgeon at Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Oxford. With his death British orthopaedics lost one of its most distinguished practitioners. He was born in London on 31 October 1927, the son of Percy, an actuary, and Violet. His mot

Henry Vernon Crock (known as Harry) was a pioneering Australian spinal surgeon. He was born in Perth, Western Australia on 14 September 1929, the son of Vernon Crock and Annie Crock née Doyle. He studied medicine at the University of Melbourne with his identical twin brother Gerard William Crock, wh

Peter Goodall was a consultant general surgeon in Derby. He was born on 8 February 1927 in London, the son of the Rev Norman Goodall, a minister of religion, and Doris Stanton, a Birmingham Medical School graduate. Peter was educated at Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Barnet and Highgate School,

Sir Herbert Livingston Duthie (known as Bert to colleagues and family) was provost of the University of Wales College of Medicine. He was born into a modest but happy home in Glasgow, the eldest of three children, and soon made an impression academically, winning prizes throughout his school years.

Alan Hunter Tooley was a consultant general surgeon at North Ormesby Hospital, Middlesbrough. He was born in East Ham, London, on 13 May 1930, the only child of Geordie parents. His father, Henry ('Harry') Hunter Tooley, served in the RAF and took part in the Jarrow march before he left the North Ea

Herbert Bernhard Eckstein was born in Dusseldorf, Germany, on 11 July 1926. His father Albert Eckstein was Professor of Paediatrics in Dusseldorf, Hamburg and then in Ankara (Turkey) where his family settled in the early 1930's. His mother, Erna, was the daughter of Professor A Schlossmann, Professo

Irene Irving was a senior lecturer in paediatric surgery at the University of Liverpool and a consultant paediatric surgeon at the Royal Liverpool Children’s Hospital (Alder Hey) who managed to combine her career with bringing up three children on her own after the early death of her husband.