Alexander Galbraith Cross was born in London on 29 March 1908, the son of Walter Galbraith, a bank manager, and his wife Mary Stewart, née McKeich, a farmer's daughter. He was educated at King's College School, Caius College Cambridge, and St Mary's Hospital, where he was a University Scholar and

Edward Zorab was born in Southampton on 28 October 1909, the second of six sons of Arthur Zorab, an ophthalmic surgeon, and Olive Parsons, the daughter of F J Parsons, the printer and publisher. He was educated at Cheltenham College, and then at Guy's Hospital Medical School where his father and fou

William Rotherham Hunter was born in Skelmersdale, near Ormskirk, on 18 February 1911, and was educated at Ormskirk Grammar School and the University of Liverpool, graduating MB BCh in 1933. He took the Conjoint Diploma the same year, and after junior posts at the David Lewis Northern Hospital, and

William Stewart McKenzie was born in Highgate in 1908, the son of a well-known ear, nose and throat surgeon, Dan McKenzie, FRCS. After gaining the Natural Science Tripos at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, he graduated in medicine from the Middlesex Hospital, in 1933. Following resident appoin

Ashton Miller, always known as 'Jerry', was born in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, on 10 September 1908, the fourth child and only son of William Ashton Miller, a banker and brewery director, and Adeline Louisa, née Porter, a farmer's daughter. He was educated at Tonbridge School before going up to

Charles John Gordon was born on 24 June 1910, in Angmering, Sussex. He came of a long line of clerical forbears, several of whom were bishops in Lincoln. His father was the Reverend George Gordon, who was Vicar of Angmering. His mother, Eileen Hutton, came of an army family. He was the only son and

Ernest Harold Carr Harper was a consultant surgeon at West Kent Hospital, Maidstone. He was born in Surrey in 1908, where his father Harry was managing director of a shipping company. His mother was Constance née Carr. He was educated at Hurstpierpoint School, before going to St Thomas's to study me

John Ayoub was a consultant ophthalmic surgeon at the London Hospital, a former Vice-President of the Faculty of Ophthalmologists and a College Council member. He was born on 7 September 1908 in South Kensington, the son of Moussa Ayoub, the celebrated portrait painter, who painted the Council in 19

Hugh Cecil Fletcher-Jones was born in Yung Ping Fuh on 26 February 1911, the third son of Dr Arthur Fletcher-Jones who was, for 20 years, a medical missionary in China. He was educated at Monkton Combe School in Bath and qualified MB BS in 1935 at the Westminster Hospital, did his residency there an

William Henry Daines Trubshaw was born in Johannesburg in 1908, his father having gone to South Africa during the Boer War and became headmaster of the Mayfair School in Johannesburg. Trubshaw went to King Edward's School and Houghton College, Johannesburg and then came to St Bartholomew's Hospital

Brian Wilberforce Smith was born on 5 September 1910, went to Mill Hill School and then to Guy's Hospital where he qualified in 1933, proceeding to MB BS in 1935 and FRCS in 1939. His house appointments were at the Cancer Hospital in London and the Royal Infirmary Sheffield. Soon after the outbreak

Frank Nicholson was a senior surgeon at Manchester Royal Infirmary. He was born in Cheshire on 6 September 1909, the son of Charles James Nicholson, a cotton merchant. Educated at St Bee's School, Cumbria, he had a distinguished academic record before proceeding to St Catherine's College, Cambridge,