Ronald Peatfield was a former consultant surgeon at Bedford General Hospital. Born on 28 December 1912 at Wilmslow, Cheshire, his father Thomas Crompton Peatfield was a railway executive. His mother was Mabel Brayshay Hughes. He was educated at Stowe and Queen's College, Cambridge, before going to t

Evan Griffiths was a consultant surgeon at Bridgend Hospitals, South Wales. He was born into West Wales farming stock on 13 December 1916. His father, Edgar Griffiths, owned and ran a grocery business in Llanelli. His mother was Mary Evans. Early schooling was at Llanelli Grammar School, where he di

Brian Courtice was a senior consultant surgeon at the Royal Brisbane Hospital. Born in Mitchell, Queensland on 13 July 1920, he was the son of Charles Richard Henry Courtice, a textile merchant, and his wife Agnes Louise née Hooper, who was a tailoress. After primary education in Mitchell he attende

Anthony ('Tony') Harding Rains was the first holder of the chair of surgery at Charing Cross Hospital, an authority on diseases of the biliary system, but arguably best known for his longstanding editorship of *Bailey and Love's short practice of surgery* (London, H K Lewis). Tony was the tenth c

Derrick Randall was a consultant general surgeon in Sheffield. He was born on 10 June 1921 in Luton, the son of Joseph and Rose Randall. He won a scholarship to Ashton Grammar School in Dunstable and then studied medicine at King's College, London, and Westminster Hospital. He qualified in April 194

Harold Holmwood Renyard was a consultant surgeon in Nottingham and Newark. The son of a south London policeman, he studied medicine at King's College Hospital Medical School, qualifying in 1940. During the Blitz he worked as a casualty officer, and later served as a surgeon lieutenant in the Navy

David Jenkins was born on 29 September 1917, at Llanrhystwd, near Aberystwyth, in Cardiganshire. His father, a language graduate and later HM Inspector of Schools in Wales, was then in the Army and only that month had been promoted Captain and awarded the Military Cross. Following the war the family

Born on 2 December 1919 at Rhos, a village near Wrexham, North Wales, John Lloyd Davies was the son of a general practitioner surgeon at Wrexham Hospital, and grandson of a general practitioner. Educated at Epsom College, he obtained a scholarship to St Bartholomew's Hospital in 1937, where he quali

Arthur Ellerker received his medical education at Guy's Hospital Medical School, qualifying with both the Conjoint diploma and the London MB BS in 1943. After house posts at Guy's he became clinical assistant at St Peter's Hospital for the Stone and surgical registrar at the Royal Free Hospital befo

Thomas Gordon Evans Loosemore was born in Caerphilly on 23 June 1918. He was educated at Plymouth College, St John's College, Cambridge, and St Bartholomew's Hospital. He graduated MB BCh in 1943 and MA in 1943. He obtained the MRCS, LRCP in 1943, the FRCS in 1948 and the MCh in 1951. During the sec

John Henry Charles Phillips was born in Hampstead, London, on 24 April 1917, the son of Samuel Phillips, an import and export businessman, and his wife Elise. He was educated at Heathmount School, Hampstead, and Hillsbrow School, Redhill, before going to the Leys School, Cambridge. His medical studi

Peter Blaxland was very much a family man, with a warm and welcoming manner and an appreciation of the simple pleasures of life. These characteristics concealed a considerable intellectual ability, and gave no hint of his understanding of the problems of surgery, and his gifts, both innate and culti