Alford Dornan was born in Belfast in 1907, one of seven children - six of whom became medically qualified. He was educated at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution and Queen's University, Belfast. He began his career in Sheffield, and was appointed Sheffield's first orthopaedic surgeon in 1943, w

William Henry Maitland Smith was born in 1907 and after early education at George Watson's College entered Edinburgh University for his medical studies, qualifying in 1929. After initial house appointments at Birkenhead General Hospital and the Royal South Liverpool Hospital he entered general pract

Bintcliffe was the son of Dr John William Bintcliffe of London, and was educated at Berkhamstead School and afterwards trained at St Bartholomew's Hospital, qualifying in 1934. After a short spell in general practice he returned to Bart's to work for his Fellowship which he obtained in 1936. He t

Gerrit Mes was born at Dubbeldoorn, the Netherlands, on 30 June 1903 and went to South Africa with his parents in 1914. His father was a general medical practitioner at Bronkhorstspruit. After matriculating in Pretoria, Mes was a teacher for one year at Dullstroom before he enrolled for a three-year

Karl Nissen, born in Otago in 1906, had a Danish father and an English mother. He was educated in New Zealand and entered the medical school in Otago, where he qualified in 1932. He first went into general practice before deciding to specialise. He undertook research into several generations of a fa

Josiah Grant Bonnin was born at Ararat, Victoria, Australia on 26 January 1909, the only son of Francis Bonnin, a general practitioner surgeon, and Ellen (nee Grant). His early education was at Ararat Grammar School where he won a scholarship to Geelong College, Victoria. He then entered Melbourne U