Peter Smith was born in London on 14 September 1916, the son and grandson of a general practitioner. His father was Dr Frederick William Weekes Smith and his mother, a bank clerk, was Elise Marie, née Schuckmann. He was educated at Epsom College and at St Thomas's Hospital Medical School. Qualifying

Raymond Alexander King was born on 5 January 1918 and his early education was in China where his father and grandfather were medical missionaries. He entered the London Hospital Medical College for clinical studies and qualified in 1939. Within a few months he joined the Royal Army Medical Corps and

Alfred John Drew, known as ‘Jack’, was a former consultant general surgeon in Walsall. He was born in Ceylon on 17 February 1916, the son of the chief pilot for the harbour at Colombo. He was educated at Nuwara Eliya, and was then sent to Ipswich School at the age of 11. He became head boy and rugby

John Eric Richardson was a consultant surgeon at the London Hospital. He was born on 24 February 1916, to Beatrice née Sharpe and Cecil George Richardson, a general practitioner in Loughborough. He was educated at Clifton, where he played rugby in the 1st XV, and entered the London Hospital Medical