John Whittingdale, the son of Dr John Flasby Lawrance Whittingdale, MB Cambridge, MRCS, and of Marie Whittingdale (née Jennings), was born on 14 June 1894 in Sherborne, Dorset. He was to spend most of his long life in that place. After education at Sherborne Preparatory School and Sherborne School,

Leonard Snowden Debenham was born on 4 February 1893 and was educated at St Paul's School and Guy's Hospital, which he entered as a dental student but decided to study medicine. In 1916 he graduated BSc with honours and in 1918 qualified with the Conjoint Diploma. The following year he took the MB B