Prabhakar Ganyadhar Vaishampayan was born on 30 May 1932. He passed the FRCS in 1973 while working at the Good Hope General Hospital, Sutton Coldfield. He had begun his career there as a senior house officer in orthopaedics and accident and emergency surgery in 1971 and progressed to being SHO in su

Sachindra Ghosh was born in Calcutta, India, on 20 June 1928, the son of a marine official in the British India Steam Navigation Company. He received his early schooling in Calcutta, attended Calcutta Science College where he obtained a BSc, and graduated MB BS from the National Medical College in 1

Harold Brown was born at Lostwithiel, Cornwall, on 7 August 1924 and educated at Truro School. He trained at St Bartholomew's Hospital, qualifying in 1949. After house surgeon appointments, including obstetrics and orthopaedics, he joined the RAMC in March 1952. Initially on National Service, he was

Bernard Cashman was born on 10 June 1920 in Hammersmith, London. He was the son of Joseph, a master tailor, and his wife, Lena, née Whipp, a tailor and dressmaker. He entered the medical school at University College Hospital, London. He was sufficiently advanced in his medical studies to be exempted

Katharine Mary Burkill (Kit) was born in Cambridge on 25 October 1929, the daughter of John Charles Burkill, FRS, Professor of Pure Mathematics in the University of Liverpool and later Master of Peterhouse, Cambridge, and Helen Margareta Braun-Pritchard. She was educated at the Perse School and Newn

Anthony Barker was born in Birmingham on 3 September 1920, the son of Charles Edward Barker, a solicitor and clerk of court in Birmingham, and Alice Mary, née Short. He was educated at Mill Hill School and the University of Birmingham Medical School, where he met his future wife Margaret (Maggie) Ne

Edward Abson was a major player in the movement to improve casualty services by the creation of specialist consultant posts. He became one of the first 30 such specialist consultants, being appointed to Kent and Canterbury Hospital, and was later the third president of the Casualty Surgeons' Associa

Albert Patrick ('Paddy') Dignan was a former director of Army surgery. He was a remarkable character who was born into a modest family in Dublin. His father, Joseph, a tailor, was able to get all five of his sons through medical school. (Whether an ability to stitch can be inherited remains open to

Major General Norman Rogers was the director of Army surgery, and during his career encouraged the training of Army surgeons and the study of military wounding at the research establishment at Porton Down. He was born on 14 October 1916 in Long Acre, central London, the only child of Charles William

Educated at Liverpool University, Turner qualified MB ChB in 1941 and was elected to the Fellowship on 12 March 1979. After holding house posts at Mossley Hill Hospital, and Broadgreen Hospital, Liverpool, he was assistant medical officer at Fazakerley Isolation Hospital, Liverpool, before becoming

Akpaneyen Akpan-Essien was a consultant surgeon in the Cross River State, Nigeria. He was born on 21 March 1946 in Ubium, Ibibio Land, Nigeria, the son of David Akpan-Essien and Grace Akpan-Essien née Udoekpo, both peasant farmers. His great grandfather was a landowner, general and physician to the

Peter Weston was a consultant accident and emergency surgeon in Nottingham. He was born in Oswestry, but spent his early years in Eastbourne, where amongst other things he taught himself to sail and thereby developed his love of the sea. He went to Chelmsford Hall Preparatory School and was then awa