Sir Hedley Atkins was the son of a distinguished Guy's general practitioner, Sir John Atkins KCMG, KCVO, FRCS, and Elizabeth May (née Smith) Hedley, by which name he was always known, was educated at Rugby, Trinity College, Oxford and Guy's. He was a man of commanding presence and excellent physique

Henry Reynolds Thompson was born in Hampstead, London, on 14 February 1908 the son of Harold Theodore Thompson (1878-1935) MD, FRCP, FRCS, physician to the London Hospital (*Lives of the Fellows*, 1930-1951, p.764) and Elinor, née Waller (whose father was a dental surgeon in Alexandria). He was educ

Roy Parkinson was born in 1911 and received his medical education at the London Hospital, whence he qualified with the conjoint diploma in 1932 and with the London MB BS the following year. After qualification he held posts as assistant orthopaedic surgeon at the East Ham Memorial Hospital and as su

Geoffrey Myers was born on 24 January 1908. He passed the FRCS in 1937 and, during the second world war served with both the RAMC and the NZMC. He spent his career in general surgery working for such organisations as the United Fruit Company Inc. and the North and West Africa Socony Mobil Oil Compan

Roland Lewis was born in Ystalyfera, near Swansea, on 23 November 1908, the third of five sons. His father, William James, who was from an old Cardiganshire family of farmers, trained in Edinburgh and became a GP and medical officer of health to the rural district of Pontardawe. His mother was Const

Wilfred Carlisle Barber was born at Manchester on 2 June 1907. His father was a medical practitioner who graduated MB ChB in Edinburgh in 1899. Barber was educated at Hulme Grammar School, Manchester, and Sutton Valence School, obtaining a leaving exhibition to St John's College, Cambridge. After ga

Little is known of the career of Henry Ackers. He qualified MB ChB in Liverpool in 1932 and was living in Wigan when he became a Fellow of the College in 1938. He practised in Blackpool after the war and, in the 1950s moved to Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancs, where he lived for the rest of his life. He d

Born in Eastbourne on 27 September 1908 to D G Gilbert, Headmaster of Roborough School, Eastbourne, Gilbert attended his father's school and then went to St Bartholomew's Hospital where he qualified with the conjoint examination in 1932 and became house surgeon to Girling Ball and Blundell Bankart.

Samuel Ernest Birdsall was born on 14 February 1908 in Skipton, Yorkshire, the only son of James Ernest, an optician, and his wife, Eva. He attended Skipton Grammar School winning an open exhibition to Christ's College, Cambridge. His clinical studies were carried out at St Bartholomew's Hospital, L

John Robert Blackburne, known as 'Robin', was a consultant surgeon at Hull Royal Infirmary. He was born on 27 August 1909, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where his father, John Devereux Blackburne, was a banker. His mother was Francisca, née Lopez. Robin was sent home to school, at Berkhamstead, from w

Bob Wolfe was born in London on 10 October 1907. He came from Eastbourne College to St Thomas's where he qualified in 1932 and where, inspired by his teachers Cyril Nitch and Phillip Mitchiner, he decided on a career of surgery, rather against his father's hopes that they would join in general pract

Muhammad Siddiqui was born on 12 July 1902, and graduated at King George's Medical College, Lucknow in 1928. In 1932 he became Professor of Anatomy in the same College, and later came to England to obtain the Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1935, and the Fellowship in 1937. After his