Charles Burgess, known as Terence, was born in Hoylake, the Wirral, Cheshire, on 10 January 1913, into a medical family. His father, Charles Herbert Burgess, was a general practitioner, as was his grandfather, Robert Burgess. His mother was Meta Jeanette née Leitch. Terence was educated at Haileybur

Pritam Singh was chief medical officer, director of health services and deputy secretary of health to the Punjab government in India. He was born in Patiala, India, on 9 January 1920. His father, Harcharan Singh Seraph, was an architect who had worked with Lutyens on the building of New Delhi. His m

John Stephens was a general surgeon at Norfolk and Norwich Hospital. He was born on 29 March 1919 in Northamptonshire, where his father was an engineer with farming interests. Educated at Stowe School, his scholastic achievements were complimented by a flair for sport, particularly rugby. At Gonvill

Harold Holmwood Renyard was a consultant surgeon in Nottingham and Newark. The son of a south London policeman, he studied medicine at King's College Hospital Medical School, qualifying in 1940. During the Blitz he worked as a casualty officer, and later served as a surgeon lieutenant in the Navy

Bruce Pender was born in Bombay on 9 September 1921, the son of George T Pender, general manager for the British American Tobacco Company. He was educated at Mount House Preparatory School and Marlborough College before entering St Thomas's Hospital Medical School. After qualifying in 1944 he served

David Jenkins was born on 29 September 1917, at Llanrhystwd, near Aberystwyth, in Cardiganshire. His father, a language graduate and later HM Inspector of Schools in Wales, was then in the Army and only that month had been promoted Captain and awarded the Military Cross. Following the war the family

Anthony ('Tony') Harding Rains was the first holder of the chair of surgery at Charing Cross Hospital, an authority on diseases of the biliary system, but arguably best known for his longstanding editorship of *Bailey and Love's short practice of surgery* (London, H K Lewis). Tony was the tenth c

Norman Albert Austin Cust was an Australian surgeon. He was born in Beulah, Victoria, Australia, the only child of Albert George and Jeannie Mccracken Cust. He served in the RAF during the Second World War and gained his FRCS in 1948. In 1943 he married Frances Irene Lysons. They had five childre

Peter Ferry Jones, clinical professor of surgery at the University of Aberdeen, was an outstanding surgical craftsman, a major academic contributor to coloproctology and paediatric surgery, as well as a renowned teacher of operative surgery. He was born on 29 February 1920 in London, the son of Erne

Desmond Laurence Bond Farley was a consultant surgeon at the Royal North, Highlands General, Wood Green and Southgate hospitals, London. He was born in London on 30 January 1921, the son of Laurence George Farley of the Indian Army, and Isabelle Beatrice Farley née Bond. He was educated at the Pilgr

Paul Large was a general surgeon in Durban, South Africa, and then in Melbourne, Australia. He was born in Beira, Mozambique, on 12 August 1920, but was brought up in Durban. He was educated at Michaelhouse, a rural boarding school in Natal, and then, in 1938, went to the UK to study medicine at Guy

Keith Lothian was a general surgeon in Birkenhead. He was born in 1919 in Dunedin, New Zealand, and raised in the city. He studied medicine at Otago University, qualifying in 1943. He then joined the New Zealand Medical Corps, becoming a captain. In 1947 he worked his passage to the UK as a ship's