Brian Patrick Gardner was born in Fort Jameson, Zambia on 17 July 1948. He was the first son, and third child, of Trevelyn Codrington Gardner CBE and his wife Briege Therese née Feehan. His father was a distinguished Colonial administrator who went on to have a second career in university administra

Arthur Norman Guthkelch was born in Woodford Green, East London and educated at Christ's Hospital School, Horsham. At first, because of his love of animals, he aimed to become a vet but when his mother enquired if people were not more important he decided to study medicine instead. He won a scholars

Laurie Lassman was born in London on 21 June 1913, the son of Henry Lassman, an electrical engineer, and Julia, née Abrahams, a Hebrew bookbinder. He was educated at Raine's School and went on to the London Hospital Medical College to study medicine, qualifying with the conjoint diploma in 1937 and

Richard Johnson was born on 30 June 1912 in Manchester, the son of Herbert Johnson, a company secretary, and Grace, née Rose. He was educated at King's School, Macclesfield and in 1932 was awarded an Exhibition to Downing College, Cambridge, where he obtained first class honours in the natural scien

George Tutton was born in Stockport, Lancashire, on 11 May 1913, the son of a company director and his wife Eleanor Gertrude, née Bailey. He was educated at King William's School on the Isle of Man and at the University of Manchester, where he qualified with the MB in 1939. He did several resident s

Alan Richardson was a consultant neurosurgeon at Atkinson Morley's Hospital, London. He was born in Walthamstow, Essex, on 21 August 1926, the youngest of four sons of William Richardson OBE, company secretary for an oil company, and his wife, Daisy. He was educated at St Egbert's Roman Catholic Sch

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

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

Ramanand Kalbag (known as ‘Ram’) was the first Indian-born consultant in neurosurgery when he was appointed to the department of neurosurgery in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1964. Ram, the elder son of Mangesh and Uma Kalbag, was born on 6 March 1926 at his maternal grandparents’ home in Karwar, a town on

Alan Raynor Kirby was a neurosurgeon at the Royal University Hospital, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. He was born in Gosforth, Northumberland on 2 April 1924, the son of Alger Raynor Kirby, a manufacturer’s agent, and Phyllis Barbara Kirby née Hodgkin. He was educated at the Royal Grammar School,

Lindsay Symon was a professor of neurological surgery at the Institute of Neurology, London University and the National Hospital, Queen Square who made important contributions to neurosurgical management, technique and training, and major advances in cerebrovascular pathophysiology. He was born

John Allwood McHardy was a neurosurgeon and chief medical officer of health in Jamaica. Known as Johnny to his family and friends, he was born in Jamaica, in Montego Bay, St James on 24 August 1926, the only son of Nathan Ralph McHardy, an assistant commissioner of lands, and Melaine Estelle McHardy