John Bertram Phillips was born in Sydney, New South Wales, on 9 June 1924, the only son of Gerald Bertram Phillips, a dental mechanic, and his wife Isabel May, née Cunningham. His early education was at Lindfield Primary School, Sydney, and North Sydney Boys' High School. He studied medicine at Sydn

Thomas Pirotta qualified MB BS from Adelaide in 1955. He was appointed resident medical officer to the Royal Adelaide Hospital in 1956. On coming to England he worked as a senior house officer at the Leicester Royal Infirmary in 1960 and was appointed registrar to the orthopaedic and traumatological

Little is known about Colin Landon Smith except that he graduated MB BS in London in 1953 and was a Fellow of both the London and Edinburgh Royal Colleges of Surgeons. He practised in Harley Street and died in 1979.

William Henry Cookson was born on 6 January 1929, the son of Harold Cookson, a shoe maker and his wife, Ethel May neé Winfield. He attended the Liverpool Institution and Liverpool University and became a Fellow of the College in 1962. Moving to Canada, he was appointed as a teaching fellow at Edmont

William Hedley Jones was born on 18 December 1930 at Morriston, near Swansea, the son of W J Jones, a sales representative. He was educated at Cardiff High School and at Swansea Grammar School. He received his medical education at University College, London and University College Hospital and qualif

Roy Pierre Jerman was born in Blyth, Northumberland, on 10 December 1933 and after early education at King Edward VI School, Morpeth, entered King's College Medical School, Newcastle, qualifying in 1956. After early house appointments he entered the Royal Air Force for National Service and in additi

Kelvin Thomas was a consultant surgeon at Nottingham General and King Mill hospitals. He was born in Hong Kong on 11 November 1926, the son of George Harold Thomas, a surgeon, and Nora née Gourdin. His father was formally admitted as a fellow by election by Sir Arthur Porritt in 1961, who went to Ho

George Anthony Lawrence, known as 'Tony', was a consultant general surgeon in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, Canada, where he practised for 35 years. He served as a coroner and from 1984 to 1993 was chief of staff of the Highland View Regional Hospital and was also medical examiner for Cumberland C

John Matheson was a former professor of military surgery at the Royal Army Medical College, Millbank, London. He was born in Gibraltar on 6 August 1912, the son of John Matheson, the then manager of the Eastern Telegraph station, and Nina. The family later moved on to Malta and then to Port Said. Jo

Reg Bolam was a locum consultant general surgeon. He was born on 3 January 1924 in south London, the first of the three children of Harriet and Frederick Bolam. He grew up in Streatham and won a scholarship to Bec College, was in the top stream, joined several public libraries and borrowed several b

Alastair Smellie was a much respected consultant general surgeon to Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, with breast and endocrine specialist interests, a lecturer at the university and for many years a senior examiner for final MB BChir examinations. He was born on 17 May 1933 in Woking, Surrey, int

Tom Menzies was born on 28 November 1922 in Crowborough, Sussex, to Major General Thomas Menzies, CB, OBE, JP, formerly of the RAMC, and Euphemia, née Anderson. He attended Aberdeen Grammar School and the University of Aberdeen Medical School, where he played rugby for the first XV and won the Keith