Arthur Williams was born on 31 December 1905 in Swansea, the son of David Edward Williams, a schoolmaster, and Katherine Hannah, née Humphries. He attended Swansea Grammar School and Swansea University College as a scholar, before going on to the Welsh National School of Medicine in Cardiff. He chos

Gerald Herbert was born in Liverpool on October 7, 1904, the first son of Lt-Col H Herbert, FRCS, IMS, an ophthalmic surgeon, and his wife Agnes, née Killey. After leaving the IMS his father became a consultant ophthalmologist in Nottingham. Gerald Herbert was educated at Lees Preparatory School, Ho