Neville Stidolph was a consultant in urology and general surgery at Whittington Hospital, London. He was born in Mossel Bay, South Africa, on 31 October 1911. His father, Charles Edward Stidolph, was a magistrate. His mother was Florence née Hinwood. He was educated at Grey High School, Port Elizabe

James Oldfield was born in Sunderland on 10 July 1923. His father was Thomas Oldfield, a shipwright, and his mother was Annie, née Cockerill-Lawrence. He attended Bede Collegiate School, Sunderland, and then went to Durham University to study medicine on a Miners' Association Scholarship. He attende

Harland Rees was born on 21 September 1909 at Port Elizabeth, South Africa, into a medical family. His father, David Charles Rees, was a specialist in tropical medicine and had served in Lugard's frontier force, which kept the French at bay in West Africa in 1897. Four years later, he went to South

William Houston was born in Newry, County Down, Eire, on 7 October 1916, the son of William Houston, a wholesale draper, and his wife Hilda, née Robinson, the daughter of a hotel proprietor. He was educated at St Andrew's College, Dublin, and later at Trinity College, to which he gained an entrance

Tommy 'Tucker' Moore was welcomed in a great many surgical clubs and societies for his engagingly forthright interventions. His criticisms were pungent but invariably good-humoured, and he was very good company. He was born on 11 January 1909 in Sunderland, where his father and mother ran a newspape

Ian Hamilton was a consultant general surgeon and later consultant urologist at the Royal Cornwall Hospital, Truro. He was born in Belfast as his father, William James Hamilton, an Irishman himself, wanted him to be eligible to play rugby for Ireland - regrettably something he never achieved. Ian wa

Phadke was born in 1901 and educated in East Khandesh, India. His clinical medical training was received at University College Hospital. London, and he graduated in 1927. Returning to India he became surgeon at the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, Bombay, an appointment he held until his retire

William Gordon Gill was born in Reigate on 3 January 1908. He was educated at Kingswood School, Seaford, and Marlborough College, from where he won an exhibition to Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. From Cambridge he went to Guy's Hospital where he qualified in 1932; becoming FRCS in 1934 and M

William Eric Marcus Mitchell was born at Newtownards, County Down, Northern Ireland, on 29 April 1897, the son of Dr John Finlay Mitchell, a medical practitioner and Anna, nee Shaw. His early education was at Campbell College, Belfast, and after leaving school he joined the Royal Irish Rifles, servi

Eric William Riches, the second child and eldest son of William Riches, a schoolmaster, and of Kate Riches (née Rowbotham), was born on 29 July 1897, at Alford, Lincolnshire. He was educated at St Dunstan's, Alford, and Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Alford, before securing an entrance scholarship

Athol James Duke was born in Dunedin in 1928 and his early education was at McGlashen College and at the Otago Boys' High School where he was head prefect and played for the school first XV at rugby. He entered Otago Medical School in 1947, qualifying in 1951, and after completing officer appointmen

Ken Owen was a well-known urologist in London with an international reputation, particularly in the Middle East and throughout Europe, especially in Scandinavia and Italy. His first consultant appointment was as a general surgeon to the Royal Northern Hospital in 1957, succeeding McNeill Love, who s