Alan Rhodes was a consultant in general and paediatric surgery in Coventry. He was born in Wolverhampton on 1 April 1936 to Florence Rhodes née Levers, a secretary, and Wilfred Rhodes, a clerk. After a stellar performance at Wolverhampton Grammar School, he entered Birmingham Medical School in 1953.

Michael Kevin Murphy was educated at Christian Brothers' College, Cork; Downside School; and the London Hospital Medical College. He graduated in medicine in 1960. After internship and surgical house posts he obtained the Diploma in Anaesthetics and went briefly into anaesthetics, but soon returned