Geoffrey Wilson, the son of Norman Wilson, a manufacturing mild owner, and of Gertie Wilson (née Green), was born at Silsden, Yorkshire, on 13 February 1923. He was educated at Keighley Boys' Grammar School and Leeds University Medical School, graduating with honours in 1947. He then served as house

John Wedgwood Graham, the son of John Machefer Graham, a farmer and grazier, and of Ivy Maud (née Wedgwood), a descendant of Charles Darwin and Josiah Wedgwood, was born on 1 June 1921 at Narrabri, New South Wales. His grandfather, John Bass Graham, was a medical graduate from Dublin who practised i

Edward John Immelman was a consultant vascular surgeon at Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa. He was educated at Rondebosch Boys' High School and went on to study medicine at the University of Cape Town, where his academic ability was recognised with the award of the McCullogh and Aaron

Charles Clyne was born in Huddersfield on 3 February 1946, the son of a Czechoslovakian immigrant who had come to Britain in 1939. His early education was at St Bee's School in Cumbria, just five miles from the nuclear processing plant at Sellafield. He trained at Liverpool University Medical School

Mike Solan was born in Eltham, London, on 31 January 1932. His father, Michael, was a Bank of England official and his mother was Doris Winifred Gladys Rogers, a Librarian. He was educated at Douai Abbey School, Berkshire, and at Woolwich Polytechnic and he attended St Thomas's Hospital Medical Scho

Colin Skelton was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, on 31 March 1935 and educated at Christchurch West High School and Otago Medical School. After house appointments at Christchurch Hospital and Grey Hospital, Greymouth, he became surgical registrar at Christchurch Hospital and then came to England

Trevor Layzell was a general and vascular surgeon at Bishop Auckland General Hospital. He was born on 2 February 1949 and studied medicine at Newcastle University, graduating in 1972. He started his career at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne, followed by a move to Sunderland Roya

Douglas George Arnott Eadie was a consultant surgeon at the London Hospital. He was born on 16 June 1931, the son of Herbert Arnott Eadie, a general practitioner in Leeds, and Hannah Sophia née Wingate. His father died when Douglas was a year old and he was brought up by his step-father, Sir Raymond

Magdi Obeid was a consultant general and vascular surgeon in Birmingham. He was born on 5 January 1943 to his Egyptian parents in Khartoum, Sudan, where his father was working at the time. He was educated in Sudan and Egypt, and studied medicine at Ain Shams University, Cairo. He excelled in all his

Roland Jones was a consultant surgeon at Essex County and Black Notley Hospitals. He was born in Southport, Lancashire, on 16 May 1919. His father Norman was an architect, his mother was Esther née Cooper. He was educated at Oundle and St John's College, Cambridge, from which he went to St Thomas's

William O'Flynn was born in County Limerick on 12 April 1927, into a family with a long tradition in medicine as general practitioners. Unfortunately no details of his forbears are available. After education at Presentation College, Bray, County Wicklow he entered the National University of Ireland

Always known by his second given name, Adrian Marston was an internationally-admired surgeon, a polylinguist and educationalist who also made significant advances in the understanding of the splanchnic circulation and intestinal failure. Born to Jeffrey Marston, a major in the Royal Artillery, an