John Roland Grimoldby was born in Sheffield on 2 April 1912, the son of Edward John Grimoldby, a gentleman's outfitter, and Edith (née Woodcock). He was educated at Barnsley and District Holgate Grammar School and the University of Sheffield. He graduated BSc with first class honours in 1933 before

Alex Brown was a consultant surgeon at Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa. He was born on 26 January 1919. His father, A Brown, was head of the department of applied mathematics at the University of Cape Town. His mother, Mary Graham, had been the first female graduate at Rhodes Univers

Lipmann Kessel was born in South Africa on 19 December 1914. He studied first at Witwatersrand University and then at St Mary's Hospital Medical School, graduating in 1937. Following resident posts in London he joined the RAMC. He volunteered for parachute duties and became surgeon in command of No

Leslie Peter Clark was born in New Zealand in 1909 and after early education entered Otago Medical School. He qualified in 1914 and two years later came to England where he undertook house officer appointments at All Saints' Hospital and the West London Hospital. At the outbreak of war he was on the

Alexander Graham was born at Witbank, Transvaal, South Africa, on 15 February 1921. His father, Alexander Chimes Graham, was a mine manager. His mother, Mary Josephine McKenna, was the daughter of Joe McKenna, the mine captain who assisted Winston Churchill in his escape from the Transvaal during th

William Garden Hendry was a consultant surgeon at Highlands General Hospital and Wood Green and Southgate Hospital, London. He was born in Aberdeen on 30 September 1914, the son of two schoolteachers, and was brought up in a strict Presbyterian household. He was educated at Aberdeen Grammar School a

Butler was born on 12 September 1916 and educated at Bristol University, graduating with honours in medicine and surgery in 1940. As the second world war was in progress he was immediately commissioned in the RAMC and was posted to India. After the war he held resident posts at Bristol Royal Infirma

Alan Lionel Lomas graduated from the medical school in the University of Otago in 1938 at the age of 21 and for part of 1939 was house surgeon at New Plymouth General Hospital before joining the New Zealand Expeditionary Force at the beginning of the war. He served in the Western Desert and was awar

Neville Stidolph was a consultant in urology and general surgery at Whittington Hospital, London. He was born in Mossel Bay, South Africa, on 31 October 1911. His father, Charles Edward Stidolph, was a magistrate. His mother was Florence née Hinwood. He was educated at Grey High School, Port Elizabe

Ron Lowe was consultant ophthalmic surgeon to the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital. He was born in Melbourne on 14 November 1913, the third son of William E Lowe, a contractor, and Isabella née Hinde. He was educated at Wesley College, Melbourne, and qualified as a pharmacist at the University o

Gerald Nevill was a consultant surgeon in Kenya. He was born on 22 December 1915 in Nurney, County Carlow, Ireland, the son of Alexander Colles Nevill, Archdeacon of the Church of Ireland, and Rosettah Fitzgerald, a teacher of modern languages and one of the first women to graduate from the Universi

Thomas Miller (Tom) was born in Fielding, New Zealand, on 24 September 1917, the third son of Thomas Miller, a Presbyterian minister and Marion Meiklem née Strang, the daughter of a sea captain who became marine superintendent of the Union Castle Line. He was educated at the Otago Boys High School a