Geoff Smiddy was a senior surgeon at Leeds General Infirmary and a prolific author. He was born in Kendal on 4 January 1922. His father was a hotelier and his mother looked after a haberdashery shop. His was not an easy childhood – his father left the family home shortly after he was born and his mo

Munro Walker-Brash was a consultant general surgeon at Orpington and Sevenoaks hospitals. He was born in London on 15 November 1920, the second son of John Walker-Brash, a general practitioner, and his wife Gloria Lilian née Parker. He was educated privately at Colet Court in Hammersmith and Clivede

David Bell was a surgeon at Belfast City Hospital. The son of William George Thompson Bell, a farmer and mill-owner from Cookstown, Northern Ireland, and Emma Jane Bell, he was born on 20 June 1920. A great uncle, cousin and brother were all doctors. From the Rainey Endowed School he went to Queen’s

Kumar Kanti Ghosh was born in India and received his medical education at the Medical College, Calcutta. He obtained the FRCS in 1950 and was appointed professor and director of surgery at the Medical College. He was one of the pioneers of modern surgery in Calcutta, and was an extremely popular tea

Thomas Michael Hennebry was born in Tramore, County Waterford, Ireland in 1913, the son of Michael Hennebry, a wine importer. He was educated at Castleknock College, Dublin, and University College, Dublin. He qualified with honours in 1937, taking the McCardle prize in surgery and the O'Farrell gold

After St Patrick's College, Godfrey Goodson qualified from Otago in 1943, did house jobs in Wellington, and then went to England for postgraduate surgical training, passing the FRCS in 1950. He returned to New Zealand in 1951 as resident surgeon at the Hutt Hospital and was elected to the visiting s

Born on 29 November 1906 in Rome, Aldo was the first child of Alfredo Calo, MD and Ida, nee Ottlenghi. He obtained the 'Maturità' Classica', equivalent to a BA degree, from the Liceo Ginnasio Ennio Quirino Visconti in Rome before qualifying MD from the Facolta di Medicina e Chirurgia, R Università d

Herbert Fletcher Smith was born in Farnworth, Lancashire, on 26 December 1917, the son of James Fletcher Smith, a general practitioner. He was educated at Bolton School before entering Manchester University Medical School where he was awarded the Dickinson Scholarship in anatomy and in 1939 passed t

Gunter was educated at Melbourne University, qualifying MB BS there in 1945 and gaining his MS in 1950. He held junior appointments at the Royal Melbourne Hospital from 1945 to 1949. He came to Britain in 1950 and passed the FRCS examination in that year. After spending a year at Frenchay Hospital,

Born in South Africa, Morris David Gelfand was educated at Wynberg, Cape Town and began his medical career at the University of Cape Town, graduating MB ChB at the age of 21. He held house appointments at Congella Hospital, Durban, and from there joined the practice of Hymie Penn and Aaron Porter in

Peter Corfield was born in Barnet, Hertfordshire, on 17 June 1922. Both parents were consultant analytical chemists, his father, Charles Edwin, being the editor of Martindale and the British Pharmacopoeia. He also lectured and examined at the University of London, as did his wife Ella, née Caird.

Alexander Watson received his medical education at the University of Sydney and qualified MB BS there in 1933. He came to London and gained the Fellowship in 1950. Returning to Australia, he practised in Fremantle and Perth and was clinical assistant surgeon and subsequently surgeon at Fremantle Hos