John Cridlan Barrett was born on 10 August 1897 in Leamington Spa where his father was a pharmaceutical chemist. He was educated at Merchant Taylors' School from where he obtained a scholarship to St Thomas's Hospital Medical School. In the first world war he served as a Lieutenant in the 5th Battal

Born on 11 August 1903 in Hong Kong, he was the first child of Richard Octavius Boon, CBE, a civil servant, and Emily Mary Fothergill. He was educated at Edgecliffe Preparatory School in Sydney, Australia and at St Paul's School London. He then became one of the most distinguished students at St Tho

John Elgood studied medicine at St Bartholomew's Hospital, passing the Conjoint Diploma in 1924 and qualifying MB BS the same year. He worked as external midwives' assistant at Bart's and then became senior house surgeon to the Prince of Wales Hospital, Tottenham. He then held the post of surgeon to

Illtyd James was born in Barry, Glamorgan, on 12 July 1900, the eldest son of Evan Thomas James, a master tailor, and Elizabeth Jones, a farmer's daughter. He was educated at Barry County School, where he held a county scholarship, and later at University College Cardiff (where he took a BSc in 1921

John Henry Milnes Walker was born on 16 March 1902 in Wakefield, the son of John William Walker and his wife Constance Elizabeth, née Holdsworth. His father and grandfather had both been surgeons on the staff of Clayton Hospital and his wife's father had been a physician there. He was educated at Ou