Cyril Isaac Woolf was an ear, nose and throat surgeon in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He was born in the East End of London, into an orthodox Jewish family, the eldest of three sons of Adolph Woolf and Regina Woolf née Frey. He studied medicine in London, qualifying MB BS in 1952. After house posts,

Ernest James England was a consultant urological surgeon at the Royal Perth Hospital, Western Australia. He was born in Bunbury, Western Australia, on 26 May 1927. His father, Ernest Roy England, was a bus driver who had served at Gallipoli and in France during the First World War; his mother, Bessi

Warwick John Cook was a consultant general surgeon at Liverpool Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales. He was born in Sydney on 3 July 1930. His father Marcus Cook was a service manager; his mother Hilda Maude Cook née Thame was a housewife. He had a sister, Nerida. He attended Sydney Boys’ High School

Ivan Ballantyne Tait was a consultant in charge of genitourinary medical services at Glasgow Royal Infirmary. He was born on 14 September 1928 in Stepps, Lanarkshire, Scotland. His father, also Ivan Tait, was a civil engineer; his mother was Elise Alexander Tait née Forsyth. He studied medicine at t

Fred Ehrlich was a professor of rehabilitation, aged and extended care at the University of New South Wales: his career in medicine and academia spanned orthopaedic surgery, psychiatry, geriatrics and rehabilitation. He was born on 23 March 1923 in Czernowitz, Bukovina (now divided between Romania a

Barry Altman was director of surgery at White Plains Hospital, New York. Born in London on 29 July 1927 he was the second son of Louis Altman, a millinery manufacturer and his wife Raie née Bacal. Educated in Salford, Lancashire at St John’s Elementary School and Salford Grammar School, he studied m

John Michael Powley was a consultant general surgeon in Eastbourne. He was born in London on 23 January 1929, the only child of Richard John Powley, an engineer, and Winifred Rose Powley née Shortell. He was a pupil at the Strand Grammar School in Tulse Hill, London. His time there coincided with th

Manohar Janardan Joshi was born on 11 December 1931 in Ratnagiri, India. His father, Janardan Joshi, was a lawyer and social reformer and his mother, Malatibai, was the superintendant of the Girl’s High School in Ratnagiri. The school had been founded by his parents in 1925 and was the first school

Alfred Petty was a consultant surgeon at Newcastle General Hospital. He was born in South Shields on 20 March 1925. His father and mother – Jack and Nellie Petty – were both teachers. Following time spent working at the Ernest Rutherford laboratory in Manchester from 1910 to 1911 and service in the

Harold Thomas was a consultant urologist in Sydney, Australia. As a result of his American experience, when he trained with Roger W Barnes in California, he was able to make a significant contribution to the development of urological practice in Australia. Harold was born into a humble family in

Charles Mann was a consultant surgeon at St Mark's and the London hospitals. He was born in Hampton, Middlesex, on 2 March 1928, the son of Charles Mann, a company director in the City of London, and Hilda Ella Mann née Bramley. At one stage there were 11 doctors in his immediate family, including t

Michael Hobsley was a professor of surgery at University College London and at the Middlesex Hospital Medical School, before it merged with University College Hospital Medical School in 1987. He was born on 18 January 1929 in Calcutta, where his father worked, and attended St Saviour's College, C