Charles Gordon Sinclair was born in Highgate, North London, on 26 January 1906, the second son of Charles Purves Sinclair, general manager of the Colne Valley Water Company. He was educated at Shirley House School, Watford, and at St Paul's School, West London, before entering St Bartholomew's Hospi

Reginald Keene was born in Islington, London, on 11 September 1897, the son of a chief administrative officer of the LCC Mental Hospitals' Department, and used to visit Oulton Broad on holiday as a child. A foundation scholar of Highgate Grammar School, he passed his first MB in 1915 but shortly aft

James Reid was born in Bournemouth on 24 October 1906, the son of George Alexander Reid, a general practitioner, and his wife Muriel, née Hopwood. He was educated at Hailey Preparatory School in Bournemouth, and Marlborough College, Wiltshire. He then went to Oxford University and on to St George's

William (Bill) Tandy was born on 9 September 1904, one of the three sons of W S Tandy, a jeweller, and Ann, née Hickman. He was educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham, and St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical School. After qualification in 1927 he worked as a surgical registrar at the General Hos

Robert Allen Fitzsimons was born on 16 March 1892 at Maugherow, County Sligo, Ireland, and educated there at Summerhill College. He entered the Customs and Excise branch of the Civil Service by competitive examination in 1911 and in 1912 was transferred from Ireland to the Custom House at Billingsga