Philippa Parry Pughe was born on 3 April, 1897, at Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia, the only daughter of Canon Thomas St John Pughe. She attended Toowoomba High School until the age of 10 when her parents brought her to England. She visited Rome and Venice where she remembered the Campanile in ruin

Robin Pilcher was born on 22 June 1902 in Northwood, Middlesex, into a family without medical connections, although his younger brother Michael was to follow him into surgery. His father was Thorold Sturtevant Pilcher and his mother Helena, née Neilson. He was a scholar at St Paul's School and a pri

Charles Kindersley was born on 5 May 1890 at Eton, where his father was a housemaster. He was educated at Sedbergh, where he won his colours for rugby, cricket and shooting, and at Magdalen College, Cambridge, where he graduated BA in 1912. He then went to St Bartholomew's Hospital where he qualifie

Louis Amos Bennett was born in Nelson, New Zealand, on 16 October 1896. His father was John Bennett, farmer and storekeeper and his mother was Annie, née Ryde. He was educated at Central School, Nelson and Nelson College where he was awarded the junior and senior national scholarships and the Fell S

Henry Hamilton Stewart was born on 23 August 1904, the son of H A Stewart, a practitioner at Thornton, Bradford. He was educated at Bradford Grammar School, King's College Cambridge and St Thomas's Hospital. At Cambridge he was placed in the first class in the Natural Sciences Tripos of 1925. At St

Born on 8 February 1891 in the Military Cantonments at Bangalore, Dick Rishworth was the son of an officer in the British Army in India: his mother was the daughter of a major in the Indian Army Ordnance Corps and his great grandfather was an Assistant Surgeon of the East India Company. After educat

James Cosbie Ross was born in Liverpool on 17 May 1904. He was the son and grandson of doctors, his father being James Ross, a general practitioner in Walton, Liverpool. His mother was Delia Cosbie and James, as the eldest child, took the name of Cosbie. James used this name and linked Ross as 'Cobb

Frank Wild Holdsworth was born in Bradford on 22 September 1904, and was educated at Bradford Grammar School and Downing College, Cambridge, proceeding to St George's Hospital in 1926. He became a Fellow of the College in 1930, and obtained the Cambridge degrees of MB BCh in 1934 and MCh in 1935.

Donald Barlow was born on 4 July 1905 in Leytonstone, son of Leonard Barlow, an electrical engineer, and Katherine Monteagle. His eldest brother Leonard was killed at the age of 18 after winning the MC with two bars in the Royal Flying Corps; the second became FRS and a professor at University Colle

Arthur Elliot-Smith was born in Cairo on 3 June 1901. He was the son of Sir Grafton Elliot-Smith the distinguished anatomist and anthropologist; his mother's maiden name was Kathleen Macready. He graduated from Clare College, Cambridge, before coming to University College Hospital and on from which

Norman Barrett was born in Adelaide, Australia, on 16 May 1903. He was one of the great pioneers of thoracic surgery. After spending his early years in Australia he came to England and was educated at Eton where he was distinguished in both academic and athletic fields. He proceeded to Trinity Colle

'Bill' Tucker was born on 6 August 1903 in Hamilton, Bermuda,where his ancestors had been colonists in the 17th century and where his father, also William Eldon Tucker, was a surgeon whose contributions to the profession were recognized by the award of the honorary FRCS in 1952. His mother was Henri