Geoffrey Channing was born on 22 March 1916 at Bushey in London, the son of William Channing, an antiques valuer, and his wife Alice, née Stevens. He was educated at Latymer Upper School, West London, and Guy's Hospital Medical School, where he was awarded the Golding Bird Prize in obstetrics and

Bernard Price was born in Kingston, Jamaica, on 27 January 1913, and studied medicine at Cambridge University and King's College Hospital, where he qualified in 1938. During the second world war he served in the RAMC and was awarded the MBE. On demobilisation he resumed his surgical training at the

Eustace Victor Hope, the younger son and second of three children of Herbert Ashworth Hope, a barrister and company chairman, was born on 3 June 1914 at Church Stretton, Shropshire. He was educated at Stowe School and Trinity College, Cambridge, before entering St Thomas's Hospital Medical School an

Hugh Guerrier was a consultant surgeon in Torbay. He was born in Muswell Hill, London, on 2 January 1913, the only son of Arthur Philip Guerrier, a solicitor, and his wife, Hilda Gwendolene née Davies, whose father was a general practitioner. Hugh was educated at Cambridge House School, Margate, and