Robin Downie was a consultant general surgeon in Liverpool. He was born on 2 May 1927 in Hightown, Merseyside, the son of a dentist. He was educated at Holmwood School, Formby, and Shrewsbury, where he excelled at sport. He then carried out his military service, during which time he took a six-month

John Coals was a consultant surgeon in accident and emergency surgery at Chester Royal Infirmary. He was born in Highbury, London, on 8 February 1930, the son of John Rueben Coals, a shipping agent, and Alice Maud Beatrice née Ensor. He was educated at St Andrew’s Church School and Enfield Grammar S

John Bridger was a consultant general surgeon in Stafford. Born on 2 September 1926, John grew up in Enfield, north London, where his father, George Bridger, was the superintendent of parks. His mother was Violet Millicent Bridger née Lee. He gained a scholarship to Enfield Grammar School and later,

Robert Pringle was a consultant surgeon in Dundee. He studied medicine in Glasgow, qualifying in 1950, and, after house jobs, completed a four-year short service commission in the RAF, reaching the rank of squadron leader. On leaving the RAF, he specialised in surgery in Glasgow and Newcastle, and

John Eliot Trapnell was a consultant surgeon in Bournemouth with a special interest in the pancreas. He was born in Bristol on 25 April 1930, the son of Eliot Trapnell, a solicitor, and Ruth Manson Trapnell née Fells, a domestic science teacher whose father had been a medical missionary and a surgeo

Brian Pearson was a consultant general surgeon in Ilford, London. He could be described in terms of one of his interests: he was like a good wine, he improved over time. Unpretentious, with a soft trace of his Birmingham-derived accent, he had a sly sense of humour, and did not have all his other ma

Kamal Tewfik Said gained his FRCS in 1961. His last known address was in Cairo, Egypt. He died on 15 May 2012.

Stewart Desmond Clarke was a consultant surgeon in Belfast, Kuwait and finally at the King Edward VII Hospital, Midhurst. He was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, the son of Brice Richard Clarke, a doctor, and Doreen Clarke née Cassidy, who worked in catering. He studied medicine at Queen's Univers

Remo Derek Peduzzi was a consultant surgeon at Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle. He studied medicine at Middlesex Hospital Medical School, qualifying in 1950. He gained his FRCS in 1961. Prior to his consultant appointment, he was a senior registrar in general surgery at Middlesex Hospital, London.

John Stephen Winter was born on 21 January 1920 and educated and trained at Cambridge University and Liverpool University Medical School qualifying during the second world war. He served in the RAMC until 1947 and then joined the Royal Air Force Medical Service in 1950. Having worked in general, ort

Vithal Gangadhar Phansalkar was a general surgeon in Bijapur district in Karnataka state, India. His father, Gangadhar Sakharam Phansalkar, was a general practitioner in Phaltan, Maharashtra. His mother Girija died when he was three years old and his father passed away when he was 17 and just about

Ajay Kanti Poddar was a consultant surgeon in South Australia. He was born in Pabna, in what was then India, on 1 July 1932. His father, Krishna Mohan Poddar, was a manager of a jute company; his mother, Jnanada Sundari Poddar née Saha, was a housewife. He attended the Hindu School, Calcutta and the