Ascroft was born on 4 September 1906, the only son of James Arthur Ascroft of Bootle, Lancashire and Hannah Byers of Culton, Cumberland. He was educated at Worksop, the Middlesex Hospital, and the University of Strasbourg, qualifying in 1930; the next year he gained the gold medal at his Master of S

John Michael Woodward qualified in Melbourne in 1963. He passed his Fellowship of the College in 1968 and the following year became senior registrar to the Bristol Regional Neurosurgical Unit until 1971 when he returned to Australia. He was appointed neurosurgeon to the Austin Hospital, Heidelber

Ian Reay McCaul was born in 1916 and after his early education entered Glasgow University, qualifying in 1941. After early hospital appointments he passed the Fellowship of the Royal Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow eight years after qualifying and undertook specialist training in neuro

Bernard Crymble was born on 6 May 1928, and after early education was admitted to the University of Durham Medical School, qualifying in 1951. After house appointments at the Royal Victoria Infirmary he joined the RAMC for National Service. After demobilisation he returned to Newcastle as demonstrat

Anthony Booth, neurosurgeon, was born in Liverpool on 20 April 1934, the son of Edmund Booth, a company director, and Henrietta, a teacher. He was educated at Gordonstoun School and King's College, Cambridge, completing his medical studies at University College Hospital, London. His training in n

Kenneth Paine was born in London on 16 October 1921, the only son of William James Paine, an accountant, and his wife Edith, née Ellis. He won a LCC scholarship to the City of London School whence he gained a City of London scholarship to St Thomas's Hospital. There he won the Kitchiner scholarship

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

Navaratnam Subramaniam was the son of Shanmugam Navaratnam, an official of the Malaysian Railways, and of Achchimuthu, née Sinnathamby. He was born on 4 April 1934 in Jaffna, Ceylon, and was educated at Victoria College and Jaffna College, where he matriculated in 1953. He studied medicine at the Un

Geoffrey Knight was born on 4 October 1906 at Lowfield Heath, Surrey, the only son of Cureton Hope Overbeck Knight, a produce broker, and Ida Emily Norton, the daughter of a physician whose uncles served as surgeons in the Crimean War. He was educated at Wadham House School, Hove, and Brighton Colle

John Currie was head of the neurosurgical department at St Bartholomew's Hospital, London. He was born on 1 July 1926 in Darlington, County Durham. His father was a practising physician in Darlington who had trained at St Bartholomew's Hospital in London and served as a doctor in the First World War

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

Peter Schurr was a consultant neurosurgeon at Guy’s and Maudsley hospitals, London. He was born in Brighton on 9 December 1920. His father, Christopher George Schurr, was an ophthalmic surgeon and his mother, Lilian Nellie Schurr née Abell, had been a ward sister; they met at University College Hosp