John Coals was a consultant surgeon in accident and emergency surgery at Chester Royal Infirmary. He was born in Highbury, London, on 8 February 1930, the son of John Rueben Coals, a shipping agent, and Alice Maud Beatrice née Ensor. He was educated at St Andrew’s Church School and Enfield Grammar S

Brian Pearson was a consultant general surgeon in Ilford, London. He could be described in terms of one of his interests: he was like a good wine, he improved over time. Unpretentious, with a soft trace of his Birmingham-derived accent, he had a sly sense of humour, and did not have all his other ma

Vithal Gangadhar Phansalkar was a general surgeon in Bijapur district in Karnataka state, India. His father, Gangadhar Sakharam Phansalkar, was a general practitioner in Phaltan, Maharashtra. His mother Girija died when he was three years old and his father passed away when he was 17 and just about

Ajay Kanti Poddar was a consultant surgeon in South Australia. He was born in Pabna, in what was then India, on 1 July 1932. His father, Krishna Mohan Poddar, was a manager of a jute company; his mother, Jnanada Sundari Poddar née Saha, was a housewife. He attended the Hindu School, Calcutta and the

Sorab Pestonji Minwalla was a surgeon in North Carolina, USA. He was born in Karachi in what was then India on 29 March 1926, the third child and second son of Pestonji Minwalla, an accountant, and Goolbai K Minwalla. He was educated at the Bai Virbaji Soparivala Parsi High School in Karachi, the D

William (‘Bill’) Murdoch Lennox was a general surgeon based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. He was born on 19 January 1930 in West Derby, Lancashire. His father was William Murdoch Lennox III; his mother was Dorothy May Lennox née Smith. He studied medicine in London and qualified in 1954. He ga

Roland David Stedeford was a consultant surgeon in Barking, East London. He studied medicine at Oxford University and graduated BM BCh in 1956. In London he did house jobs at the West London Hospital and St George’s before becoming joining the staff of the Warnesford Hospital, Leamington Spa as a re

John Robb was a consultant surgeon at Route Hospital, Ballymoney, Northern Ireland. Born on 24 February 1932 in Downpatrick, County Down, he was the son of John Charles Robb, a general practitioner, and his wife Jessie Bannatyne née Wilson. Her father, a judge, had been the last Solicitor-General of

Norman A Matheson ‘NAM’ was a consultant general surgeon at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. Born on 26 March 1932 in Inverness, he was the son of Allan John Matheson and Margaret Ann Matheson née Mutch. He grew up on Avonside in the shadow of the Cairngorm Mountains and his early education was in Tomintou

As a surgeon – from his birth in New Delhi, India, his training in England to a career in New Zealand – Roy Chowdhury occupied the world of medicine more than most. Salil Roy Chowdhury (widely known as Roy) was born in 1928, the sixth child of Abala Bondhu Roy Chowdhury, a manager of a colliery i

James Joseph O’Brien was a general surgeon in Australia. Born in Northern Ireland on 21 September 1921 he studied medicine at Queen’s University, Belfast and graduated MB ChB in 1945. He did house jobs in London and passed the fellowship of the college in 1961. He moved to Australia, was appointed a

Rodney Campbell Curry was a consultant surgeon at Belfast City Hospital, Northern Ireland. He was born in Dar es Salaam, Tanganyika, in 1928, the son of William Clive Curry, a land officer, and Louie Eleanor Curry née Biddle. He attended school in the UK, including at East Grinstead, Sussex, and wen