Ian Donaldson was born on 20 January 1914, the son of David Donaldson, a marine engineer and Margaret Jane, née Smith. He was an exceptional student especially in the study of languages. Ian studied at the Middlesex Hospital Medical School where he obtained a number of prizes. House appointments at

Wynn-Williams was born on 10 August 1911 at Middlesbrough, the son of William, a general practitioner and his wife Jane Anderson, née Brymer. He was educated at Rossall School and King's College London, where he won the Hughes prize for anatomy and Chadwick prize for clinical surgery, before complet