John Fry was born in South London on 16 June 1922, the son of a general practitioner, and was educated at Whitgift School, Croydon, and Guy's Hospital Medical School, qualifying in 1944. He took his FRCS diploma in 1947, but very soon decided to take up general practice, and he remained a single-han

Douglas Bennett was born on 18 July 1918, the son of Geoffrey Bennett, an officer in the North Somerset Yeomanry who subsequently took to ranching in Argentina and his wife Elizabeth Elsa Müller, who was Swiss. He was educated at Minehead Grammar School and at University College Hospital in London,

Richard Roberts (Roy) was born in Holywell in 1920. After school in North Wales he studied at the Liverpool University Medical School graduating in 1942. He played an active part in the Medical Student Society and was an excellent speaker at meetings. He decided on a career in surgery and took the p

Reginald Walter Patrick Hosford was born on 23 June 1898, the eldest son of Dr B Hosford, a general practitioner in Highgate and elder brother of John P Hosford, FRCS, surgeon to St Bartholomew's Hospital. He was educated at Highgate School where he was a foundation scholar and was admitted to St Ba

Elaine Lister was born in Sandgate, Kent, on 5 November 1920. Her father, Major Charles Martin Lister MC, was in the Royal Artillery. Her mother was Frances née Cameron. She was educated at Babbington House School, Eltham, Hillingdon School and Cheltenham Technical College. She studied medicine at t

Derek Stevenson was house officer at St Thomas's Hospital, London from 1948 to 1949 and then at St Peter's Hospital, Chertsey from 1949 to 1950. He then went to Kenya with the RAMC before taking up a senior house post at Nottingham General Hospital in 1952. He moved to Australia in 1954 and worked a

Alan Mathams was a general practitioner in East Sussex. He did his medical training at the Westminster Hospital, where he qualified in 1977. After junior posts, he chose a career in surgery and was registrar at St James Hospital, Balham, and Epsom District Hospital. He decided to become a GP, joinin

James Llewellin Digby Roberts was born on 15 July 1912 at Kalimpong, India, where his father was a medical missionary. His early years were spent in India, where a favourite family pastime was butterfly hunting on horseback: the superb family collection, which his father initiated, was to become a l

Peter Broadhead Lacy was born in New Malden, Surrey, on 11 November 1923, the son of Ernest Lacy, a pharmacist, and his wife Alice Mildred, née Broadhead. He was educated at Ewell Castle School and Surbiton County School before being awarded a scholarship to Manchester University to read medicine. H

Ronald George Gibson, the only child of George Edward Gibson, a pharmacist, and of Gladys Muriel (née Prince), was born at Southampton on 28 November 1909. He was educated at Osborne House School, Romsey, and Mill Hill School before graduating from St John's College, Cambridge. He then went to St Ba

Henry Herbert Evans Batten was a GP in Cambridge. He was born in London on 8 January 1920, the son of Herbert Ernest Batten FRCS, consultant orthopaedic surgeon to Charing Cross Hospital, and Margaret Elizabeth Evans. He was educated at Westminster and Pembroke College, Cambridge, where he was a kee

Richard Sutcliffe was born on 26 April 1904 in Boston, Lincolnshire, the second son of John Bell Sutcliffe, a shipowner and broker. He was educated at Kirton Grammar School in Lincolnshire and Panel Ash College, Yorkshire, before going to Sedbergh, from where he gained entry to St John's College, Ca