John Fraser Shaw was a neurosurgeon who trained under, and then assisted, Norman Dott with his pioneering work. He was, in his own words, 'fortunate' to arrive at this position - 'lucky' to serve under Dott at the neurosurgical department of the Edinburgh Western General. John was born in Calcutta i

John Currie was head of the neurosurgical department at St Bartholomew's Hospital, London. He was born on 1 July 1926 in Darlington, County Durham. His father was a practising physician in Darlington who had trained at St Bartholomew's Hospital in London and served as a doctor in the First World War

Navaratnam Subramaniam was the son of Shanmugam Navaratnam, an official of the Malaysian Railways, and of Achchimuthu, née Sinnathamby. He was born on 4 April 1934 in Jaffna, Ceylon, and was educated at Victoria College and Jaffna College, where he matriculated in 1953. He studied medicine at the Un

Gopal Baratham was a consultant neurosurgeon in Singapore. He was born on 9 September 1935, into a Tamil Brahmin family, originally from southern India, who had moved to Malaya. His father was Dr Baratham Ramaswamy Sreenivasan, one of the founders of the Singapore Medical Association, and the first

Charles George Drake (Charlie), neurosurgeon, was born on 21 July 1920 in Windsor, Ontario. His father had died of Spanish influenza two months earlier. He was educated locally, but later moved to London, Ontario, receiving his medical education at the University of Western Ontario, from which he gr

John Potter was a consultant neurosurgeon and director of postgraduate education at Oxford. He was born in London on 28 February 1920. His father, Alistair Richardson Potter, was a brewer. His mother was Mairi Chalmers née Dick, a housewife whose father had edited the songs of Robert Burns. He was e

Bernard Williams was born on 20 April 1932 in Stockport, Cheshire, the son of Francis Bernard Williams, a shoe retailer, and Hope Johnson, the daughter of the sea captain and author Walter Rise Hawkins Johnson. He was educated at Stretford Grammar School and the University of Birmingham, where he qu

Kenneth Paine was born in London on 16 October 1921, the only son of William James Paine, an accountant, and his wife Edith, née Ellis. He won a LCC scholarship to the City of London School whence he gained a City of London scholarship to St Thomas's Hospital. There he won the Kitchiner scholarship

Mukund Nagindas Dhruva was a neurosurgeon in Yakima, Washington, USA. He was born in Pansina in the state of Gujerat, India on 10 February 1934 to Nagindas Dhruva, a businessman, and his wife Champa whose maiden name was Shah. After attending the Sheth NTM High School in Surendrangar, he studied bio

Alan Raynor Kirby was a neurosurgeon at the Royal University Hospital, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. He was born in Gosforth, Northumberland on 2 April 1924, the son of Alger Raynor Kirby, a manufacturer’s agent, and Phyllis Barbara Kirby née Hodgkin. He was educated at the Royal Grammar School,

Ian Cast was a versatile and dedicated neurosurgeon. He was born in Gidea Park, Romford, Essex, the younger son of John David Cast, an executive officer with the Port of London Authority, and Doris Eliza Cast née Bones. Ian was educated at St Mary's High School, Romford, Gidea Park Preparatory Sc

Bernard Fairburn, the son of Lazarus and Leah Fairburn (née Margolin) was born at Christchurch, Hampshire, on 3 August 1916. He was educated at Bec School, Battersea, securing an arts scholarship in 1933 before entering the Middlesex Hospital Medical School in the following year. He qualified MRCS,