Andrew Ball, always known to his friends as 'Andy', was a consultant urologist in Southend, Essex. He was born in Bristol on 22 July 1949, the son of Keith Seymour Ball and Joan S Ball née Godfrey. Both parents were schoolteachers in the city and in his youth he regularly accompanied his father to s

Conrad Latto was a consultant surgeon at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading. He was born on 3 March 1915, the son of David and Christina Latto. His father was the town clerk of Dundee, his mother a frugal Scot who scrupulously saved towards the education of their three sons. Conrad, Gordon and Do

Tim Cooke, St Mungo professor of surgery at the University of Glasgow, was tragically killed at the age of 60 in a car accident when returning from a continental holiday with his wife and two of his six children. He was one of the UK’s leading academic surgeons, contributing extensively to research

David Moffat was a consultant neuro-otologist/skull base surgeon of international acclaim. He ran an outstanding department at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge from 1981 until he retired in 2012. He was born on 27 June 1947 in Cardiff, Wales of Celtic stock; his father, Graham Moffat, was Scotti

Peter May was a consultant orthopaedic and trauma surgeon at the Princess Royal Hospital, Telford. He specialised in children's orthopaedics, foot and ankle surgery, the shoulder and rheumatoid arthritis. He hailed from the West Country, where he attended Torquay Boys' Grammar School and then studi

Nikitas Alfred Theodorou was a consultant general surgeon at Charing Cross and West Middlesex hospitals, London. Although born in London on 23 July 1948 and completely anglicised in every way, there was no doubt he always maintained his Greek heart. This was reflected in his annual pilgrimage for on

Hisham Ismail was born in Heliopolis, Cairo, on 28 August 1947, the second son of Mohammed Ismail, a civil aviation engineer and general manager of Cairo airport. His early education was at Heliopolis Secondary School before entering Ain Shams Medical School, Cairo, where he obtained honours in surg

Brian Ellis was a consultant surgeon at Ashford Hospital, Middlesex. He was of the old school, where general and urological surgery could still be practised as a consultant, although with the separation of urology from general surgery he subsequently became a urologist. Brian was always ahead of his

George Trevor Hankey was born in London on 15 March 1900, the elder son of Trevor Hankey. After education at Oakham School he served in the final years of the war as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Horse Artillery from 1917 to 1919. After demobilisation he entered Guy's Hospital Dental School, qual

Gordon Robson was a former director and professor of anaesthetics at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School and Hammersmith Hospital, and the first anaesthetist to be elected vice-president of the college. He was born in Stirling on 18 March 1921, the son of James Cyril Robson and Freda Elizabeth How

Reginald Shooter, or 'Reggie' as he was known, was a distinguished medical scientist, teacher and academic, and a leading figure in the story of the last days of the fight against smallpox. Appointed professor of medical microbiology at St Bartholomew's Hospital and Medical College in 1961, he succe

John Boulton was born in Taihape, central North Island, the third son of Edward Clive Boulton and Mary Patricia Reade, the family farming in the King Country south of Te Kuiti. He had two older brothers, David and Philip. In 1947 the family shifted to Palmerston North where John commenced school, fi