Roderick Paton was born on 14 September 1908 in Streatham where his father was a general practitioner, and was educated at Streatham College, Dulwich College and St Thomas's Hospital Medical School, and qualified in 1931. Nine years later, after various hospital appointments, he obtained his Fell

Muriel Hilary Long was born in London, only daughter of Sidney Long OBE, a director of Beaverbrook Newspapers. She was educated at Lewisham Prendergast Grammar School and King's College Hospital. She was house surgeon to Sir Cecil Wakeley, was awarded a travelling scholarship of the University of