Gordon Tippett was born at Rainham, Kent on 22 October 1901 and entered St Thomas's Hospital for medical studies, qualifying in 1926. After early appointments in the orthopaedic department at St Thomas's Hospital he passed the FRCS in 1932 and served as surgical registrar at the National Temperance

Edward Carew-Shaw was born in Lymm, Cheshire, on 28 March 1901, the son of Edward, a cotton broker, and Carolyne Hetty Newman, an actress. He received his schooling at Connaught School, Hove, and then Brighton Grammar School. He began evening classes at King's College, London, and then two years lat

Evelyn Cecil Naylor Strong was born in Birmingham in 1901, the son of a dentist who intended him to follow in his footsteps. Accordingly he enrolled as a student at Mason College, Birmingham, but after completing the three year dental course he continued training to become a doctor; to support himse

Robert Allen Fitzsimons was born on 16 March 1892 at Maugherow, County Sligo, Ireland, and educated there at Summerhill College. He entered the Customs and Excise branch of the Civil Service by competitive examination in 1911 and in 1912 was transferred from Ireland to the Custom House at Billingsga