Merlyn Kumarasinhe was a surgeon who worked in Colombo, Sri Lanka. He was born on 12 December 1920 in Colombo, the son of Cyril Mendis Kumarasinhe, an interpreter, and Florence Bridget Kumarasinhe née Fernando. Two of his brothers - Lachlan and Hiary (who spelt the family name Kumarasinghe) - also b

Paul Rosswick was a consultant surgeon at St George's Hospital, London. He was born in London on 1 June 1932, the son of John Rosswick, an advertising director, and Phoebe Rosswick née Fagin, a housewife. He attended Malvern College from 1945 to 1950 and then studied medicine at London Hospital Medi

John Alan Carr studied medicine at Durham University and King's College Hospital in London. He held posts at the Stockport Infirmary, the Grimsby and District General Hospital and St Peter's and St Paul's Hospitals in London. He was surgical registrar to the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle-upon-

Arthur Hughes was born at Oswestry in Shropshire on 3 December 1910, the son of the Reverend Hywel Hughes, a Welsh Presbyterian minister, and his wife Myfanwy; he was a twin and his brother John also became a minister in their father's church. His schooling was rather peripatetic because of his pare

Fred Hunt was born at Ilkeston, Derbyshire, on 5 March 1899, the son of John Hunt, a schoolmaster, and his wife Clara, née Beardsley, who had seven children. He was educated at the Elementary School and the County Secondary School in Ilkeston, and entered the London Hospital Medical College in 1916,

Charles Illingworth, the son of a Halifax businessman, had a life spanning four periods: the first before and during the first world war as schoolboy, sea-scout, munitions worker, farmer's boy, student, airman and prisoner of war; the second his surgical training with Sir David Wilkie in Edinburgh,

Darryl Corry was born in Melbourne, Australia, on 10 February 1898, the son of William, a graduate of Belfast and also a surgeon, and his wife Lily Anne, née Meakin. His younger brother, a member of this College, became a general practitioner in Binnaway in Australia and was awarded the MBE for his

Mark Coleman received his medical education at University College Hospital Medical School, passing the Conjoint Diploma in 1927 and graduated MB BS in 1928. He obtained the Fellowship in 1931 and in the same year gained the Mastership of Surgery, and was awarded the Bilton Pollard Fellowship in 1938

Norman Cecil Tanner was born on 13 June 1906, 3rd son and 4th child of H J Tanner, building contractor, and Annie Harding, he was educated at Merchant Venturers' Technical College and Bristol University where he graduated MB ChB in 1929. He held junior medical and surgical appointments in Bristol (P

Arthur Thomas, born 12 April 1936 in Durham, was the second child of Professor David Winton Thomas, Regius Professor of Hebrew, Cambridge University, and Edith (Higgins) and, as might be expected, was educated at Cambridge, beginning in the King's College Choir School, then The Leys School and final

Brian Wilberforce Smith was born on 5 September 1910, went to Mill Hill School and then to Guy's Hospital where he qualified in 1933, proceeding to MB BS in 1935 and FRCS in 1939. His house appointments were at the Cancer Hospital in London and the Royal Infirmary Sheffield. Soon after the outbreak

John Havelock North was born on 16 April 1903 in Christchurch, New Zealand. His father, John James North, DD, was principal of the Baptist College, Auckland; his mother was Cecilia, née Haig. One brother, Alfred (later Sir), became President, Court of Appeal and the other, Kenneth, was Principal, Pa