Michael Richard Robertson Martin was born in Ilford and educated at Brentwood School and the London Hospital. He graduated MB BS in 1965 and after house appointments embarked upon his surgical career, holding posts at his old teaching hospital and at the Westminster Children's Hospital and Cardiff.

Simon Cox was a sportsman, countryman, conversationalist and *bon viveur*, as well as a surgeon. He was the life and soul of any party and was known for his sunny personality, *joie de vivre* and compassion for patients. Born in Malaya, where his father died as a prisoner of war in Changi prison, S

Born on 18 December 1939 in London, David Jagelman was educated at St Joseph's College, Beulah Hill and King's College London, before going on to Westminster Hospital Medical School. After qualifying in 1963 he was surgical registrar, research lecturer and senior registrar at the Metropolitan, Westm

Ronald Sahoy was a pioneering cardiothoracic and general surgeon in the Caribbean. He was born on 3 January 1940, in Essequibo, British Guiana (now Guyana). His father was Kunandan Ramdial Sahoy, a business man who owned a trucking service, and his mother was Baidwattee née Narayan, who had worked a

Abdool Rahim Moossa, known as 'Babs', was chairman of the department of surgery at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). He called his approach the 'triple threat', combining first rate surgery with advanced education, training and research, not surprisingly taking USCD onto the internatio

Peter Bates was a consultant surgeon for Dartford and Gravesham Health Authority. He was born in Belfast on 12 August 1934. His father, Charles Donald Bates, retired from the Army and became a company director. His mother, Gladys Elizabeth Wilson, qualified in medicine from Queen's University, Belfa

David Bouchier-Hayes was a professor of surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI). He was born on 30 December 1940 in Dublin, one of 12 children of Thomas Bouchier-Hayes and Mona Bouchier-Hayes née Graham. His father was born in Limerick in 1907 and became a prominent and much-loved