Richard John Vulliamy Battle was born on 21 January 1907 at 49 Harley Street, London Wl, the son of William Henry Battle, surgeon to St Thomas's Hospital, London, and Annie Marguerite Vulliamy, who was descended from a long line of clockmakers. He was educated at Highfield School, Liphook, Gresham's

Born at Dunedin, New Zealand, on 17 June 1882, he came of a distinguished family. His father Robert Gillies was a land agent and a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives, and his mother was Emily Street from Birtley, near Guildford. Edward Lear, the artist and nonsense-verse write, was h

Born at West Hartlepool, January 2, 1909, the second child of William and Lilian Peet. He was educated at Tynemouth High School and Durham University Medical College in Newcastle where he graduated in 1931. His first year's appointments were at the Royal Victoria Infirmary and were followed by eight

Frank Leo Hutter was born in Auckland on 6 February 1910 and after early education at Auckland Grammar School entered the University of Otago Medical School, qualifying in 1935. He spent a year in house appointments at Palmerston North Hospital before coming to England for further postgraduate appoi

Robert Clark Campbell (known as 'Bob') was a consultant plastic surgeon at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge. He was born in Dundee on 31 January 1931, the only son of Archibald and Agnes Campbell. Following school in Dundee and then Southampton, he decided upon a career in medicine and he graduated

Richard Dawson was born in 1916 and educated at the Bishop's Stortford College and University College Hospital, qualifying with the conjoint diploma in 1939. He joined the RAMC, although the formality of service life during the war was not very compatible with Dick's debonair and easy manner. He dec

Charles Henry Beard was born on 14 August 1938, the son of an eminent anaesthetist. He was educated at Westminster School, where he was a chorister, scholar and became school captain. As a chorister he had the distinction in 1953 to sing out 'Vivat, vivat Regina' when the crown was placed on Her Maj

Bernard McCarthy was educated at Melbourne University, gaining a BSc there in 1948, qualifying MB BS in 1950 and received the Melbourne MS in 1955. After early appointments at St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, and as a demonstrator in anatomy and clinical surgery at Melbourne University, he came to

Tom Gibson was born on 24 November 1915, the son of Thomas Gibson and his wife Mary, née Munn. He was educated at Paisley Grammar School and Glasgow University, whence he graduated MB ChB in 1938. Following junior house appointments at Glasgow Royal Infirmary he became assistant lecturer in surgery

Sydney Bradley Williams qualified MB BS in Durham in 1956. He became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1960 and a Fellow of the College in 1962. He was appointed senior registrar in plastic surgery at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and held this post for

Mendel Gordon was born on 31 May 1902. He went to school in Bournemouth before training at King's College, London and Charing Cross Medical School, where he qualified with the Conjoint Diploma in 1929 and was awarded the Governor's gold medal in medicine and surgery. After house surgeon appointments

Joseph Patrick Irwin Reidy (Pete) was born in London on 30 October 1907, the second son of four brothers and three daughters: his father Jerome Reidy MD was a general practitioner, son of a doctor, who practised in the Commercial Road and who had married an Irish nurse, Miss F W Dawson. His educatio