Frederick Ridley was born in Birmingham, where his father was a schoolteacher. Having graduated BSc at Birmingham in 1922 he took the MB, BS in 1925 and the FRCS in 1928. As a young man he worked with Fleming on lysozyme, and his basic work on purification helped in the subsequent development of pen

Born on 3 November 1903, the son of Dr H M Wood and Lola Lyon-Campbell, Hubert Lyon-Campbell Wood was educated at Marlborough College and King's College Hospital, London, where he qualified in 1926. In the following year he obtained the MB BS London with honours. His house appointments at King's wer

Arthur Wallis Kendall, the son of Dr J A Kendall was educated at Barnard Castle School, King's College, London, and King's College Hospital, qualifying in 1926 and graduating MB in 1927 and MS in 1934; he became FRCS in 1931. He held posts as house-surgeon at King's and as surgical registrar at the

Geoffrey Edward Parker was born on 24 June 1902 and was educated at Windlesham House School, Hove, Marlborough College, and Trinity Hall, Cambridge. He came to St Thomas's Hospital for his clinical course and qualified with the Conjoint Diploma and the Cambridge MB in 1926. Two years later he took t

Arthur Norman Jones was born on 14 January 1904 in Liverpool, the son of John Lewis Jones, an estate agent, and Catherine Elizabeth, the daughter of a banker. His early education was at the Blundellsands School and Liverpool College, and he went to medical school in Liverpool, graduating MB ChB in 1

Alexander Digges La Touche, the son of a general practitioner, was born at Ossett, Yorkshire, on 31 December 1899. On leaving Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield, he entered the Royal Naval Colleges at Osborne and Dartmouth before serving as an Executive Officer in the Royal Navy during the fi

Jean Margeurite Dollar was born in London in 1901. Her father, grandfather and uncle were veterinary surgeons practising in Bond Street. After school in London she attended the London School of Medicine for Women, from which she graduated MB BS in 1927. She early devoted herself to ophthalmology and

Eric John Greenwood was born on 10 October 1902 in Greenwich, London, the only son of Eustace Noel Greenwood, an accountant and former mayor of Greenwich, and Gertrude Freida Scarr. He was educated at the Rowan School, Greenwich, before starting medicine at Guy's Hospital in 1918. He then went to Do

Edward Carew-Shaw was born in Lymm, Cheshire, on 28 March 1901, the son of Edward, a cotton broker, and Carolyne Hetty Newman, an actress. He received his schooling at Connaught School, Hove, and then Brighton Grammar School. He began evening classes at King's College, London, and then two years lat

Evelyn Cecil Naylor Strong was born in Birmingham in 1901, the son of a dentist who intended him to follow in his footsteps. Accordingly he enrolled as a student at Mason College, Birmingham, but after completing the three year dental course he continued training to become a doctor; to support himse

Robert Lord Holt was born near Oldham on 18 May 1903 and educated at William Hulme's Grammar School, and Manchester University, where he qualified with many distinctions. He held numerous resident appointments in Manchester and obtained his Fellowship in 1928. In 1931 he was Dickson Travelling Schol

John Andrew Kerr was born in Edgbaston, Birmingham, on 17 July 1903, the first of the four children of John William Kerr, a mineral water manufacturer. His mother Gertrude Adie was the daughter of a goldsmith and silversmith. He attended the George Dixon School in Birmingham and the Birmingham Unive