George Birbara was a general surgeon in Leeton, New South Wales. He was born in Sydney on 16 August 1928. His parents, Anis, a tailor, and Amanda (née Diab) had emigrated from Lebanon. George went to Sydney Boys’ High School and Sydney University. After house appointments, he went to England in 19

Born 11 September 1928 the son of Gabriel Robin, a musician and Rita Gossman, Gordon Robin was educated at Hutcheson's Grammar School and the University of Glasgow. After house appointments he did his national service in the RAMC, serving in Malaya as a Major. He trained in orthopaedics under Sir He

Veluppillai Rasanayakam was born on 16 July 1925 in Ceylon, the son of Kailayar Rasanayakam, a farmer, and his wife Annappillai, née Palani. He was educated at schools in Jaffna and Colombo before entering the medical faculty of the University of Ceylon in 1945, from which he graduated MB BS in 1950

Tahrir El-Galiani was professor of surgery at Baghdad University. He was born in Hit, Iraq in 1926. His mother's name was Hidna Turky and his father, Ismail Ahmed El-Galiani was a land owner on the Euphratus. He was their seventh child and the fourth of their sons. After primary school in Hit, he at

Feroz Shah was a consultant general surgeon in Pakistan. He was born in Peshawar in 1927 and studied medicine at King Edward’s Medical College, Lahore. He went to England to specialise in surgery, working as a house surgeon in Croydon and a registrar at the Lambeth Hospital while he studied for the

Prem Virmani was born at Lyallpur, India, on 14 April 1928, the daughter of Ramnarain Virmani, a businessman, and after early education entered Lady Hardinge Medical College in New Delhi. After junior hospital appointments she came to Great Britain for postgraduate studies, working at Hammersmith Ho

Alexander Galloway was educated at Fraserburgh Academy and Aberdeen University, graduating MA in 1921 and qualifying in medicine in 1925. He went to Canada as Professor of Anatomy at the University of Saskatchewan in 1927, but in 1932 he migrated to Johannesburg, South Africa, where he was senior le

Malcolm Menelaus was born in Melbourne, Australia, on 11 October 1930, where his father, Benbow Menelaus, was a banker. His mother was Gladys née Wills. He was educated at Scotch College, Melbourne, and Melbourne University, where he qualified in 1954. After two years at Prince Henry's Hospital, Mel

Venkataswamy Maddimsetti Naidu was born in Madras on 22 March 1909, the son of Sitiah Naidu, a magistrate. His early education was at schools in Karinada and Raramudry in Madras and then he entered Andhra Medical College. After qualifying he was tutor in physiology and during the war years served in

John Gowan Gray, known as ‘Ian’, was a consultant surgeon at the North Staffordshire Royal Infirmary, Stoke-on-Trent, and the Leek Memorial Hospital. He was born in Dalkeith, Midlothian, and qualified at Edinburgh, where he completed junior house posts. During the Korean War he served his National S

Joe Magri was a consultant urologist at Oldchurch Hospital, Romford. He was born in Valletta, Malta, on 2 March 1926, the son of Francesca and Tancred Magri. He was educated at the Jesuit College and Malta University, where he qualified in 1949. He then moved to England to specialise in surgery.

Alan Fuller was an ENT surgeon at St Bartholomew's Hospital, London. He was born in Swansea on 18 March 1929, one of three sons, but the only one to survive more than 24 hours. His mother, Sarah Ann (née Williams), was later an hotelier and his father Frank Austin, who died when Alan was five years