Vrasapillai Gabriel was born on 18 December 1885 in the town of Mannar in Northern Ceylon. He came from a well known Northern family who were the hereditary administrators in the day of the British Raj. His father was Mudaliyar V Varsapillai JP, UPM, Adigar of Musale. He was born into a family of tw

Victor Coppleson was born in 1893 in the small town of Wee Waa in the central part of New South Wales; he was educated there and at Sydney Grammar School. He then entered St Andrew's College in the University of Sydney, and graduated in 1915. After a period of resident appointments at the Royal Prin

Percival Templeton Crymble was born on 21 March 1880 and graduated at the Royal University of Ireland in 1904. After acting as demonstrator of anatomy in Belfast he took his Fellowship in 1908 and then studied in London and Vienna. When he returned to Ireland in 1910 he was appointed assistant surge

John Pegington was born at Pontypool, Gwent, on 10 September 1934, the only child of Arthur John Pegington, a building contractor, and Edith May, née Pearce, the daughter of a cobbler. He recalled growing up surrounded by coal mining and music and, after education at Pentnewynydd Primary School and

Harold George Alexander had a distinguished career in the Indian Medical Service. He was first in the entrance examination following appointments as house surgeon, casualty surgical officer and senior demonstrator of anatomy at Middlesex Hospital. He entered the Indian Medical Service as Lieutenant

Eric Farquharson was born on 13 December 1905, the only son of William Anderson Farquharson, SSC, and Agnes Ness Cowie. A paternal great-grandfather, grandfather and two uncles were medically qualified. He was educated at Edinburgh Academy and the University of Edinburgh. Postgraduate studies follow

James Hunter was born in Edinburgh on 20 April 1936, the son of James Hunter a golf greenkeeper. He attended the Portobello High School in Edinburgh and then St Margaret's Anfield School in Liverpool from 1949 to 1952. During the years 1956-57 he studied at the Liverpool Technical College and then w

Jack Heselson was born on 4 January 1910 in Cape Town, and after his schooling at Wynberg Boys' High School attended the Univesity of Cape Town, where he graduated BA in 1929 and MB ChB in 1933, obtaining distinctions in the final examination and the degree with honours. After his internship at Some

Alwynne Rowlands was born in Launceston, Tasmania on 19 July 1905 and after attending the Launceston Church of England Grammer School he entered Melbourne University from which he graduated MB, BS in 1930. After resident posts at the Alfred Hospital he came to England where he was resident surgical

Samuel Anderson Vincent, the younger son of James Vincent, a musician, was born on 13 June 1909 in Belfast. He was educated at Roseland Preparatory School and the Royal Belfast Academical Institution before entering Queen's University. After resident appointments at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, Rea

Laurence Ingle was born in Cambridge in 1892, the son of Arnold Clarkson Ingle, a general practitioner who was also physician to the Leys School. Laurence went to the Leys, and then to King's College, Cambridge, which he entered in 1909 as an Exhibitioner. He was devoted to music and to rowing, beco

Douglas Harold Barnbrook, known as 'Barney', was a consultant general surgeon and professor of anatomy at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. He studied medicine at Birmingham University, gaining his MRCS LRCP in 1946. He passed his FRCS in 1951 and in the same year emigrated to H