John Maxwell Sanderson was born on 9 September 1918 in Birmingham. His father, Mark Albert, was a lamp manufacturer and his mother was Helen Kate Church, a farmer's daughter. He attended York House Preparatory School in Birmingham, followed by King Edward's High School. From there he went to Birming

James Dunbar Morgan was born in Liverpool in 1913 and educated at Liverpool College and at Sheffield University where he graduated in medicine in 1940. He later worked in the orthopaedic department of the Sheffield Royal Infirmary, then under the influence of Sir Frank Holdsworth. He was thus well g

Roland Jones was a consultant surgeon at Essex County and Black Notley Hospitals. He was born in Southport, Lancashire, on 16 May 1919. His father Norman was an architect, his mother was Esther née Cooper. He was educated at Oundle and St John's College, Cambridge, from which he went to St Thomas's

Richard Langford was born in Bloemfontein, Orange Free State, South Africa, on 30 October 1918, the son of Cyril Archibald Rowley Langford, a senior schools' inspector, and Constance, née Etheridge, an art teacher and daughter of a Norfolk farmer. His grandfather and great-grandfather were both mili

Robert (Robin) Tagart was born in Northern Rhodesia on 21 June 1919 and was educated at Winchester College and Magdalen College, Oxford, to which he won a Rhodes scholarship. He qualified in 1942 and during the war served as a surgeon-lieutenant in the Royal Navy. Subsequently he was appointed re

Charles Ian Murphie was born on 23 September 1911 in Birkenhead where his father was a partner in a family business. He was educated at Birkenhead School and Cheltenham College where he was a scholar. He then went to Wadham College, Oxford and came up to King's College Hospital for his clinical work

John Angus Aylwin was born in Leeds, the son of Ernest Angus Aylwin, an engineer, who married a Miss Bates, but John was the only man in the family to take up medicine. He was educated at the Leeds Grammar School and in medicine at Leeds University, where he qualified MB ChB in 1940. He became a Fel

Brian Thomas Duffy, the son of John and Alice Duffy was born on 13 July 1922 at Rockhampton, Queensland and was the third of four children. The family moved to Sydney, New South Wales, in 1938 where he was educated at the Christian Brothers' College, Waverley, before entering the College of St John

Victor Pearse was born on 12 November 1913, the son of Arthur Victor Pearse, of the New Zealand Government Service, and his wife Constance, née Clark. He was educated at Otago Boys' High School and Otago Medical School, graduating in 1941. After junior posts, he joined up. His first posting in 1942

Ian Maxim Monk was the son of a musician who had been director of violin studies at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. After education at Sydney Church of England Grammar School he graduated from Sydney University in 1940. He was resident medical officer at St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, and then s

Francis Joseph Damato was born in Malta on 2 February 1914, the son of Joseph Damato, an architect, and Josephine, née Farrugia. He was educated at St Paul's School, Valetta, and the Royal Malta University Medical School where he qualified in 1937. His brother, Pierre, became an ENT surgeon and a Fe

John Bruce Kyle was born in Ballylinny, County Antrim, on 13 May 1909, the son of John Kyle, a Presbyterian minister and Grace, née Moore. His early education was at Campbell College, Belfast, and he won a scholarship to Trinity College, Oxford where he read classics and was captain of the boat club