William Smiley was born in 1913 and qualified from St Andrews University in 1937. After service in the RAMC with the rank of major, he worked at the Royal Eye Hospital with Sir Benjamin Ryecroft. He was consultant ophthalmic surgeon to the Windsor Group at Taplow, Maidenhead and Wexham Park, Slough.

Charles Brown was a consultant ophthalmic surgeon in Bristol. He was born in Aberdeen on 10 July 1915 into a medical family - his father, John Brown, and uncle were both general practitioners, both his sisters married doctors, one sister and a daughter became nurses, and his son-in-law was professor

John Nixon was a consultant ophthalmologist in Dorset. He was born in London on 18 October 1913, the son of Joseph Wells Nixon, a grocer, and Ellen Theresa née Moylett, and educated at Cardinal Vaughan School, Holland Park, London, Presentation College Bray in County Wicklow, Blackrock College in Du

Sir Stephen Miller was born on 19 July 1915 in Arbroath, Tayside, the eldest son of Stephen Charles Miller, an engineer, and Isobel, née Hamilton. He was educated at Arbroath High School and Aberdeen University, where he qualified MB ChB in 1937. His interest in ophthalmic surgery followed a peri