Tony Low was born in Kurri Kurri, New South Wales, on 27 June 1940. His father, David Irving Low, was a general practitioner. His mother was Dorothy Campbell née Byrns. He was educated at the Scots College, Sydney, and St Andrew's College, University of Sydney. He did junior posts at the Royal Princ

Robert Richardson qualified from Durham in 1961 and, after junior posts, specialised in orthopaedics, training in Newcastle, Middlesborough and at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Hospital, Oswestry. In 1974 he was awarded the Malkin travelling scholarship, before taking up his consultant appointment

Alexander Tomkin was born on 21 July 1936, the first son of Harris Tomkin, ophthalmic surgeon and his wife Sarah née Nelson. He attended Castle Park Dalkey, St Columba's College, Tathfarnham, and Trinity College, Dublin, where he took the Nurock Prize for classics and the silver medal of the Biologi

Edward D'Souza was a thoracic and cardiovascular surgeon at Dakota Midland Hospital in the USA. He was born in Panjim, Goa on 19 July 1935 to Gerado Bruno D'Souza who worked in communications and his wife, Maria Orfelinda. He qualified MB,BS at the Seth Gordhandas Sunderdas Medical College, Parel, B

Frank Schiess was an orthopaedic surgeon in Macclesfield. He was born in Singapore on 24 July 1940. His parents were Swiss: his father, Edward, was a businessman, his mother was Elsa (née Pfister). The family escaped to Perth, Western Australia, just before the arrival of the Japanese. After the war

Linsell Donald Richards (Lin) was born in Levin, New Zealand, and after early education at Horowhenua College entered Otago University for his medical studies, qualifying in 1959. His first house appointments were at Cook and Wellington Hospitals and during this time he decided to specialize in otor

Robert Guerin was born in Adelaide on 8 July 1932. His father, Robert Guerin, and mother, Vera Jean née Langley, were both schoolteachers. He was educated at Adelaide High School, where he won numerous prizes and became head prefect. He qualified with credit, winning the gynaecology prize, from the

Stephen Hugh Heaney was born in Dublin on 11 February 1940 and educated there at the High School and Trinity College. He had been admitted to Trinity with an open scholarship in mathematics but decided to read medicine. He won the Silver Medal of the Dublin University Biological Association in 1962

Ian Massey was a consultant general and vascular surgeon at the Pilgrim Hospital, Boston, Lincolnshire. Born in Birmingham on 31 May 1939, Ian was the son of Charles William Massey, a master baker and managing director of a large bakery in Lancashire, and Ellen née Astley. He had one brother, Alasta

Peter Fenton, known to his colleagues as 'PF', was a consultant ophthalmologist in Portsmouth. He was born in Cranleigh, Surrey, the son of Edward Norman Fenton, a wing commander in the RAF, and Joan Wilfrida Fenton née Brown. He was educated at Radley, and then went on to read medicine at St Thomas

Ian Christopher Gordon-Smith was born in 1941 and was educated at Haileybury, Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, and the Middlesex Hospital. He qualified in 1964. After house officer posts at the Middlesex he was surgical registrar at Cheltenham General Hospital, taking the FRCS in 1969. He then

Denis Melrose played a crucial role in designing and developing the first heart-lung machine. He was born in Cape Town on 20 June 1921, the son of Thomas Robert Gray Melrose, a surgeon, and Floray Collings. The family went to England before the Second World War, and Denis was educated at Sedbergh an