Aqeel Siddique was a consultant surgeon in Lesotho in Southern Africa. He was born in Baraut, Uttar Pradesh, India on 7 January 1935. His father, Mohammad Khalil Siddique, was a contractor; his mother was Amtul Siddique née Mannan. Siddique was the youngest child in the family and his father's death

Robert Morrow was a surgeon captain in the Royal Navy. He was born in Galway, studied medicine at University College, Galway, and qualified MB BCh BAO in June 1955. He moved to work in England in accident and emergency surgery, and orthopaedic and general surgery at the German Hospital in Dalston

Alan Rhodes was a consultant in general and paediatric surgery in Coventry. He was born in Wolverhampton on 1 April 1936 to Florence Rhodes née Levers, a secretary, and Wilfred Rhodes, a clerk. After a stellar performance at Wolverhampton Grammar School, he entered Birmingham Medical School in 1953.

John Hale was a consultant general and colorectal surgeon at Redhill in Surrey. He was born into a family of market gardeners in the Vale of Evesham, Worcestershire. He showed early academic promise and attended Prince Henry's Grammar School in Evesham, where he was head boy. He then gained a schola

Abiden Behranwala was a consultant general surgeon in Mumbai, India. He was born in what was then Bombay on 28 July 1934, the son of Abdali Behranwala, a businessman, and Sarabai Behranwala, and grew up in the city. His mother was loving and encouraging, nurturing him through difficult financial tim

Gnamani Peter Christian was a professor of surgery at the Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India. He was born in Nazareth, Tamil Nadu on 29 November 1927, the second son of Rajarathnam Theophilus Christian, a farmer and insurance executive, and Chellathai Christian née Ponnammal. His

Graham Richard Varley (Dick) was born on 5 December 1934 in Ashgrove, Brisbane, Australia. He was the only child of Ambrose Stanley Varley, also known as ‘Dick’, and his wife Helen née Campbell. Although he was sent to boarding school from the age of seven he looked back on his school years at Scots

Geoffrey Ingram was a consultant surgeon at Hope Hospital, Salford (later Salford Royal Hospitals). He was born in Chadderton near Oldham on 19 March 1936, to George Ingram and Elsie Ingram née Oakes. He went to school at Oldham Hulme Grammar School, subsequently gaining entry to Manchester Universi

Paul Cassell was a consultant general surgeon at Wexham Park Hospital, Slough. He was appointed in 1972 and retired in 1998; his time there can be seen in retrospect as coinciding with the heyday of the district general hospital and certainly of Wexham Park Hospital. Paul was born in south London

William Michael Cooke was a consultant general surgeon at James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough. He was born on 16 June 1937 in Derby City Hospital, where his father, Gordon Cooke, became the youngest medical superintendent. Gordon was from the Isle of Man, and his father was a Methodist min

Leslie H Blumgart (‘Les’) was one of the world leaders in hepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) surgery. Known affectionately as ‘the professor’ by his many trainees, he was a dominant figure in the evolution of HPB surgery around the world for almost 50 years and built one of the great HPB clinical and ac

Alex Warrington was a consultant surgeon in Sunderland. He was born in Senglea, Malta, on 6 January 1935, where his father, John Warrington, worked in the Naval Dockyard Office on the Sanglea promontory, which was heavily bombed during the Second World War. Fortunately the Warrington family had been