Ken McKee was born on 5 January 1906. He was the son of Frank Charles McKee, a general practitioner who had migrated from Northern Ireland at the turn of the century. Ken was educated at Chigwell School before winning a scholarship to the Medical School at St Bartholomew's Hospital. After qualifying

Guy Pulvertaft was born in Cork on 31 May 1907, the second son of Amos William Pulvertaft, an engineer, and his wife Clara, née Savage. His early education was at Cork Grammar School and Weymouth College before entering Caius College, Cambridge. He obtained first class honours in the Natural Science