Born at Auckland in 1891 son of Judge C E MacCormick, Chief Justice of the Maori Land Court, he was educated at Auckland Grammar School and Otago University and graduated in 1914. As a Lieutenant in the Medical Corps, he served with the main body of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in Gallipol

Charles Gordon Shaw was born in Melbourne on 9 January 1885 and was educated at Scotch College, Melbourne, and Melbourne University where he graduated MB BS in 1907, proceeding to the MD degree in 1910. Rowing was his favourite sport and he was in the winning eights both at school and also at Ormond