Edward Carew-Shaw was born in Lymm, Cheshire, on 28 March 1901, the son of Edward, a cotton broker, and Carolyne Hetty Newman, an actress. He received his schooling at Connaught School, Hove, and then Brighton Grammar School. He began evening classes at King's College, London, and then two years lat

Robert Lord Holt was born near Oldham on 18 May 1903 and educated at William Hulme's Grammar School, and Manchester University, where he qualified with many distinctions. He held numerous resident appointments in Manchester and obtained his Fellowship in 1928. In 1931 he was Dickson Travelling Schol

John Andrew Kerr was born in Edgbaston, Birmingham, on 17 July 1903, the first of the four children of John William Kerr, a mineral water manufacturer. His mother Gertrude Adie was the daughter of a goldsmith and silversmith. He attended the George Dixon School in Birmingham and the Birmingham Unive

Alban Lewys-Lloyd was born at Towyn, Wales on 3 October 1902 the son of Evan Lewys-Lloyd, the County Medical Officer of Health of Merionethshire, and his wife Margaret, née Vaughan. He was educated at Towyn School before entering St Bartholomew's Medical College, qualifying in 1926. He initially int

Robert Allen Fitzsimons was born on 16 March 1892 at Maugherow, County Sligo, Ireland, and educated there at Summerhill College. He entered the Customs and Excise branch of the Civil Service by competitive examination in 1911 and in 1912 was transferred from Ireland to the Custom House at Billingsga

Robert Victor Cooke was born at Berkeley, Gloucestershire, on 17 May 1902, the eldest son of John Cooke and Rose Eva O'Neill. He was educated at Lydney Grammar School, on the opposite side of the Severn estuary. He entered Bristol University to study chemistry, but later transferred to the faculty o

Robert Milnes Walker was born on 2 August 1903, the younger brother of John Henry (qv). He too was educated at Oundle School, where he became public schools gymnastic champion, and at University College Hospital where he graduated MB, BS (gold medal) in 1926. He was one of the last house surgeons to

William Alexander Duncan Drummond was born in Cape Town on 16 September 1901 where his father was then working for the Anglo-American Tobacco Company. The family later returned to England. Having initially studied engineering and lost two fingers of his left hand in an accident at the Liverpool ship