Born on 2 December 1919 at Rhos, a village near Wrexham, North Wales, John Lloyd Davies was the son of a general practitioner surgeon at Wrexham Hospital, and grandson of a general practitioner. Educated at Epsom College, he obtained a scholarship to St Bartholomew's Hospital in 1937, where he quali

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

David Alan Sarsfield was a clinical assistant in surgery at Rutland Memorial Hospital, Oakham, Rutland. He qualified MB ChB from Bristol in 1943, and gained his FRCS in 1948. He was a house surgeon at Bristol Royal Infirmary and a surgical registrar at Bristol Children's Hospital prior to his appoin

Eric Price Clarke was born on 14 October 1913 at Blackburn, Lancs, the only child of Lancashire-born parents; his father, a graduate of Manchester University, was a schoolmaster, later joining the Home Office as an Inspector of Factories. Eric was educated at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Blackbur

Kenneth Peter Somerville Caldwell was a consultant surgeon in Exeter. He was born in Mussoorie, India, on 1 October 1914, the son of Kenneth Somerville Caldwell, a professor of chemistry, and Gertrude Elizabeth Caldwell née Sailman. He was educated at Stoneygate School, Leicester, and then Charterho

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

Rowland Williams was a former consultant surgeon at East Glamorgan Hospital. He was born in Merthyr and educated at St John’s College, Cambridge, and University College Hospital. After junior posts, including a registrarship at the Royal Marsden Hospital, he was appointed consultant surgeon at East

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

Derrick Randall was a consultant general surgeon in Sheffield. He was born on 10 June 1921 in Luton, the son of Joseph and Rose Randall. He won a scholarship to Ashton Grammar School in Dunstable and then studied medicine at King's College, London, and Westminster Hospital. He qualified in April 194

Louis Bloom Cohen spent much of his career as a surgeon in various politically unstable countries in Africa and in Iran. He was born in Glasgow on 16 November 1915, the son of Arthur Israel Cohen, a company director with the Rank Organisation, and Louise née Bloom. He was educated at St Paul's Schoo

Gilbert Benjamin Rowland Walkey - known as 'Ben' - was a surgeon who spent most of his working life in India. He was born in Marazion, Cornwall, on 27 June 1916. His father, Oliver, was a clerk in holy orders. Ben was one of seven children. He had an older brother, Sam, and five younger brothers and