John Dermot Ainslie Common was a consultant ophthalmic surgeon at North Staffordshire Royal Infirmary. He studied medicine at Westminster Hospital, where he qualified in 1971. Following his house appointment at the King Edward VII Hospital, Windsor, he went to Sierra Leone, where he worked on and wr

Born at Monart, Co. Wexford, the second son of the Rev Philip Walter Doyne. He was educated at Marlborough and matriculated from Keble College, Oxford, Oct 18th, 1875, but was prevented by illness from remaining at the University, on leaving which he entered the Bristol Medical School and then St Ge

Born 4 December 1867, fourth of seven sons of George Lawson, FRCS, and Mary, his wife, daughter of William Thomson, MD, surgeon in the Indian Medical Service (Crawford's *Roll of the IMS*, Bengal list, No 965). George Lawson had been invalided home from the Crimea, and later became surgeon to the Mi

Douglas Arthur Langley was a consultant ophthalmic surgeon at the Royal Northern and Whittington hospitals in London. He was born on 18 April 1917 at Woolwich, London, to Arthur Langley, an Army officer, and Laura Elizabeth née Webber. He was educated at Cottingham College, Plumstead, and Woolwich C

Desmond Peel Greaves was a consultant ophthalmic surgeon at University College and Moorfields Eye hospitals in London. He was born on 14 December 1920 in the West Riding of Yorkshire to Bernard Peel, an optician, and Beatrice Peel. He was educated at High Storrs Grammar School, Sheffield, and then w

John Winstanley was an ophthalmic surgeon at St Thomas’ Hospital, London. He was born in London on 11 May 1919, the son of Bernard Joseph Winstanley, a captain in the Burma Sappers and Miners, and Grace née Taunton, the daughter of a solicitor. The younger of three sons, he was educated at Stoke Hou

Philip Starr, known as ‘Jimmie’, was a consultant ophthalmic surgeon at the Royal Free Hospital, London. He was born in Birmingham in 1933. After qualifying, he spent four years in Canada and then in Australia, studying ophthalmology at the Sydney Eye Hospital. He subsequently returned to England, w

Patrick Dacre Trevor-Roper, known as ‘T R’, was an acclaimed eye surgeon and a successful campaigner. He was born in Alnwick, Northumberland, on 7 June 1916, where his father, Bertie William Edward Trevor-Roper, was in general practice. His mother was Kathleen Elizabeth née Davison. He was educated

Born at Norwich, and was partly of German extraction. He graduated MD at Edinburgh in 1856, and then studied ophthalmology for four years under von Graefe in Berlin as one of his assistants, under Helmholtz, and under Donders in Holland. On his return to England in 1860 Bowman appointed him his Clin

Born at Highgate, and studied at the London Hospital, where he was successively Demonstrator of Anatomy, Assistant Surgeon in 1846, and Surgeon from 1861-1863. He is said to have been a good surgeon, showing boldness and capacity in big operations. From 1843-1877 he was attached to the Royal London

Peter MacFaul was a consultant ophthalmic surgeon in London. He was born on 17 April 1935 in Leigh, Lancashire, to Alexander MacFaul, a general practitioner, and Constance, a pharmacist. He had two elder siblings. The children initially had a governess for tuition at home, but then in September 1940

The youngest son of the Rev Joseph Helm, Vicar of Worthing; educated at Marlborough College, then at St Catherine's College, Cambridge, where he took his BA degree as a Fellow Commoner in 1864. At the same time he became a pupil of Sir George Humphry, Surgeon to Addenbrooke's Hospital, for three yea