John Roydon Peacock was the son of Ralph Peacock, an accomplished portrait painter whose work is represented by two paintings in the Tate Gallery and others in various national galleries throughout the world. He studied at Cambridge where he graduated with first class honours in the Natural Science

Sidney Ward Allinson was born in Alford, Lincolnshire on 12 July 1904, one of identical twins. His brother, Francis, was also FRCS, and died in 1990. He was educated at Aldenham School and University College Hospital. He subsequently joined the Indian Medical Service and worked as a civil surgeon in

Eric Harris was born on 18 October 1904 in Harbledown, Canterbury, the son of a pharmacist. He was educated at the King's School, Canterbury, and the Middlesex Hospital. He qualified MRCS, LRCP in 1927 and MB, BS in 1929, and he became FRCS in 1941. During the war, he held temporary appointments as

Born at Morriston, Glamorgan on 27 July 1901, only child of C G Dahne a general practitioner at Portardawe, Glamorgan, and Mabel Louise Thomas his wife, daughter of a Swansea dental surgeon. C G Dahne, whose father was a Danish metallurgist naturalised in Great Britain, was surgeon to the factories