George Pestell was born in Perth, Western Australia, on 17 March 1921. His father George was a bank manager. His mother was Lilian May née Parker. One of his ancestors was the loyalist poet and chaplain to King Charles 1st, Thomas Pestell, and another, Paul Pestell, helped to start the Decembrist Re

'Bill' Irvine was born 19 March 1925 in Glasgow, the son of George Irvine. He was educated by his father and then at the University of Glasgow. After qualifying he planned his own programme of surgical training and successively worked with Sir Charles Illingworth (Glasgow), Peter McEvedy (Manchester

David Schlicht was born in Beaufort, Victoria, Australia, on 25 July 1924. His father, Theodore, was a stock and station agent. He studied at Melbourne University and St Vincent's Hospital and gained honours in surgery. He came to Britain to study, and in 1951 he was demonstrator in anatomy at Ca

Albert Henry Millard was born in Cardiff on 1 April 1915 and educated at University College, Cardiff, and the Welsh National School of Medicine, qualifying MB BCh in 1938 and proceeding to the London MB BS the following year. He held appointments at Cardiff Royal Infirmary and Barry Surgical and Acc

Geoffrey Wilson, the son of Norman Wilson, a manufacturing mild owner, and of Gertie Wilson (née Green), was born at Silsden, Yorkshire, on 13 February 1923. He was educated at Keighley Boys' Grammar School and Leeds University Medical School, graduating with honours in 1947. He then served as house

Lindsay received his medical education in Edinburgh and qualified MB ChB Edinburgh in 1945. After taking the Edinburgh and English FRCS he moved to Canada, where he passed the Canadian FRCS in 1956. He practised as a general and colon and rectal surgeon at the Central Hospital, and at the Rudd Clini

Little is known about Kathleen Frith, who qualified at the Royal Free Hospital in 1946. She subsequently trained in surgery, taking her FRCS diploma in 1952 and becoming a surgical registrar at Leicester Royal Infirmary. Later she was appointed senior surgical registrar at the Hospital for Sick Chil

Jack Jacobson qualified MB BCh Cape Town in 1942. After completing his internship at Groote Schuur Hospital, he served as a captain in the South African Medical Corps between 1943 and 1946. He then made the decision to embark on a career in surgery and after a period of postgraduate training at Guy'

Geoffrey Gurner Wyllie was born in Adelaide on 16 May 1923 the second son of Kenneth Robert Wyllie and Maude Hoban (née Gurner). He was educated at St Peter's College, Adelaide, before entering the medical faculty of the University of Adelaide and the Royal Adelaide Hospital, qualifying in 1946. His

Ibrahim El Moghraby was educated at Gordon's Memorial College in Khartoum and the Kitchener School of Medicine, where he graduated with distinction in 1935 after winning prizes in both medicine and surgery. He subsequently joined the Sudan medical service and after appointments at Khartoum Civil

Born on 22 August 1923 at Milan in Italy, the second son of Asher Alhadef, a tobacco merchant, and his wife Jeannette Franses. He was educated at Bromsgrove School, Birmingham, and at Worcester College (1942-47) and the Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford, qualifying in 1947. He held resident posts at Notti