Born at West Kirby, Cheshire on 1 August 1896 the fourth son of C T Wall of Liverpool he won a scholarship to Oundle School and scholarships in anatomy and physiology at St Bartholomew's Hospital, where he was awarded the Harvey and Foster prizes. Qualifying in the spring of 1918 while the first

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,