Raymond Purvis was born in Southampton on 30 December 1904, the second child and younger son of a consultant surgeon, William Prior Purvis, MD, MS, FRCS, and of Dora Raymond, daughter of Walter Raymond, a Somerset author. His paternal grandfather and great grandfather were also medically qualified.

George Hollis was born on 11 June 1904 in Durban, the son of John George Hollis, a building contractor, and Ethel, née Shirley a printer's daughter. He was educated at Durban High School and Natal University, then came to Guy's Hospital Medical School to study dentistry, qualifying LDSRCS in 1927, a

Arthur Williams was born on 31 December 1905 in Swansea, the son of David Edward Williams, a schoolmaster, and Katherine Hannah, née Humphries. He attended Swansea Grammar School and Swansea University College as a scholar, before going on to the Welsh National School of Medicine in Cardiff. He chos

David Clowes Williams was born in Tarbach, Port Talbot, the son of John Ffoulkes Williams and his wife Elizabeth, née Thomas. He attended the University of Wales in Cardiff and the Welsh National School of Medicine, where he was influenced by the teaching of Professor Grey Turner. He qualified MB BC

Norman Cecil Tanner was born on 13 June 1906, 3rd son and 4th child of H J Tanner, building contractor, and Annie Harding, he was educated at Merchant Venturers' Technical College and Bristol University where he graduated MB ChB in 1929. He held junior medical and surgical appointments in Bristol (P

Maurice Lee was born in Dublin in 1906 but during his early childhood his family moved to Newcastle-upon-Tyne where he was educated before entering the University of Durham for medical studies, qualifying at the early age of 21 and passing the FRCS five years later. During the early part of his c

Israel Preiskel was born on 7 July 1907 in Lithuania but early in his infancy the family moved to Paris and came to England when he was seven. He was educated at the Grocers' Company School in Hackney, from which he won a scholarship to St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical School. A brilliant student,

Maurice James Bennett-Jones was born in Liverpool on 30 November 1906, his father was William James Bennett-Jones, consultant anaesthetist to Liverpool Royal Infirmary and his mother was Dr Daly - a Doctor of Medicine and a JP. He was educated at Rossall School, Fleetwood, and Liverpool University w

Born on Christmas Day 1902, the son of Henry Thomas Blake and Maud MacIntyre, Henry Elliot Blake was educated at Dean Close, Cheltenham, Queen's College, Cambridge, and St Thomas's Hospital, London. His father was a member of the Institute of Water Engineers and a County Councillor and Justice of th

Hermon Taylor was born in Workington on the Cumbrian coast on 11 May 1905. His father, Enoch Oliver Taylor, was a schoolmaster and his mother, Louise née Harrison, a schoolmistress. His father came to London to become Director of Education for Edmonton and Hermon was educated at Latymer School, from

Andrew Roy Banham was the only son of Sydney Marshall Banham, a general practitioner, and of Sophie Grace Banham (née Hacking) herself a medical practitioner who practised ophthalmology. He was born in Ealing on 15 October 1904. After early education at Yardley Court, Tonbridge, he secured an open s

Jack Albert White was born on 5 May 1906, the son of Edward James White, a colour lithographer and his wife Mabel, née Rollings. He was educated at Emmanuel School, Wandsworth, and, after two years, obtained a scholarship to Sutton Valence School, whence he was awarded an entrance scholarship to St