James David Bromage was a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Kettering General Hospital, Northamptonshire. He was born in Ibadan, Nigeria on 23 September 1949, the son of James Richard Vincent Arthur Bromage, a civil servant in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and Frances Charlotte Bromage née Ke

Robin Sudlow was a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Southend Hospital. He was born in Enfield, north London, on 25 January 1948 to Stanley Sudlow, a die caster, and Bessy Sudlow née Howard, who worked in the local pharmacy. His sister Roxanne, known as Roxy, was born four years later. He went to En