John Giddings Milner was born in London on 7 December 1900, the second son of Thomas John Milner, a company director, and his wife, Caroline (née Carpenter), and was educated at Marlborough College and Trinity College, Cambridge, before entering St Bartholomew's Hospital. He continued his training a

John Foster, the eldest son of John Robert Foster, an ophthalmic surgeon, and of Emily Jane (née Elliot) was born on 31 October 1903 in West Hartlepool. He was educated at Aysgarth School, Uppingham School and Caius College, Cambridge, before entering the London Hospital Medical School where he won

Philippa Parry Pughe was born on 3 April, 1897, at Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia, the only daughter of Canon Thomas St John Pughe. She attended Toowoomba High School until the age of 10 when her parents brought her to England. She visited Rome and Venice where she remembered the Campanile in ruin