John Grocott was the surgeon in charge of the plastic department at North Staffordshire Royal Infirmary. He was born on 23 January 1910, the only son of William Harley Grocott, headmaster of the Church of England school at Fenton, Staffordshire, and Eleanor Jane Grocott née Shemilt. He had two siste

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

Denis Bodenham was a pioneer plastic surgeon who learnt his basic skills in RAF hospitals during the war, and went on to apply his expertise in peace time surgery, making important contributions to the pathology and the management of malignant melanoma. He was born in Bristol on 20 October 1915, the

Born in Rugby on 27 May 1913, the son of Thomas Faulkner, a businessman, Faulkner was educated at Rugby School and Emmanuel College Cambridge, from which he went up to St Bartholomew's Hospital to do his clinical training. During the war he served in the RAMC, and on demobilisation returned to demon

Mortimer Shaw was a consultant plastic surgeon at St James's Hospital, Leeds. He was born on 22 February 1915 in Cleckheaton. His father, William Shaw, was a medical practitioner. His mother was Lizzie née Haigh. From Oundle, Mortimer went on to study medicine at Leeds, where he graduated with first

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

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

Frank Robinson, the son of a general practitioner, was born in Bolton in 1914. There had been doctors in every generation of the family since 1800. After graduation from Manchester in 1940 he was called up for service in the RAMC, first at Aldershot and later at Baguley Emergency Medical Service Hos

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

James Emerson was born in Chesterfield in 1947, qualified at the Middlesex Hospital, where he did his house jobs, and, immediately he had registered, went to Colombia to work in an outlying district hospital. He always retained this interest in rural life in South America and a concern for the needs

Joseph Edwards studied medicine at King's College and King's College Hospital. After house appointments at King's he was a senior demonstrator in anatomy at the Middlesex Hospital before specialising in plastic surgery. He published extensively on the role of relaxin as an aetiological factor in dia

Flint received his medical education at University College Hospital and qualified MB BS in 1950. After house posts at University College Hospital and a lectureship in anatomy at University College he gained his Fellowship in 1957 and was surgical registrar at UCH and orthopaedic registrar at the Roy