Alexander Tomkin was born on 21 July 1936, the first son of Harris Tomkin, ophthalmic surgeon and his wife Sarah née Nelson. He attended Castle Park Dalkey, St Columba's College, Tathfarnham, and Trinity College, Dublin, where he took the Nurock Prize for classics and the silver medal of the Biologi

Peter Fenton, known to his colleagues as 'PF', was a consultant ophthalmologist in Portsmouth. He was born in Cranleigh, Surrey, the son of Edward Norman Fenton, a wing commander in the RAF, and Joan Wilfrida Fenton née Brown. He was educated at Radley, and then went on to read medicine at St Thomas