Michael Francis Pilcher was a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at the London Hospital. He was born on 4 October 1916 in Ealing, west London, the youngest of the seven children of Thorold Sturtevant Pilcher, a manufacturer, and Helena Pilcher née Neilson. His older brother, Robin Sturtevant Pilcher, be

James Arnault James was a consultant orthopaedic surgeon in Kidderminster. He was born on 9 June 1917 in Gwynfe, a thriving farming community in rural Carmarthenshire, Wales. Both his parents, James and Florence (née Jones) were schoolteachers, and had moved to Gwynfe when they married. John and his

Arthur Rushforth was born in Islington, London, on 10 February 1917, the son of Frederick William Rushforth, a fine art publisher, and Annabella Henry née Riddoch. Qualifying from Guy's Hospital, he completed his house jobs and specialised in orthopaedics as a registrar to the Emergency Medical Serv

John Desmond Cronin was born on 1 March 1916, the son of John Patrick Cronin. He received his medical training at London University where he qualified in 1939. Thereafter he held house officer appointments at St Bartholomew's (1939-1940) and the Royal Free (1941-1942) Hospitals. He joined the Royal

Alfred Bingold was a consultant orthopaedic surgeon to Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup, and Lewisham Hospital. He was born in London on 27 February 1913. His father died when he was very young, and his mother, Maria Martha, née Schwager, remarried. Alfred was adopted by her second husband and took his

Leon Casimir Louis Gonet was born in 1916 in Simla, where his father was deputy director-general of Indian Posts and Telegraphs. He was educated in various schools in India, and proved to be both an able student and a natural games player. In 1933 the family moved to England and Leon gained a place

John Ivor Pulsford James, or 'Jip', as he was known to all, was a tough character who had an adventurous war in Yugoslavia, gained a reputation as a severely critical taskmaster at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital and took on, as a Sassenach, the Edinburgh establishment as Professor of Orthop