Ashall was born in Addis Ababa in 1954 and received his medical education at St Mary's Hospital, whence he qualified in 1978. Dr Geoffrey Irvine, the medical superintendent at Chogoria Hospital in Kenya, where Ashall spent three months in 1973, inspired Ashall to turn to surgery after qualification;

Joseph Murray had an illustrious career as a plastic and reconstructive surgeon, but his unique achievement was to perform the first successful kidney transplant, on identical twins, in 1954, for which he was awarded a Nobel prize in physiology or medicine in 1990. He was born in Milford, Massach

Bertram Scott received his medical training at St Thomas's Hospital where he qualified in 1940 before serving in the Royal Air Force. It was during this period that he developed his interest in plastic surgery and the treatment of burns. After the war, in 1950, he was appointed as the first senior r

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

Anthony D'Arcy Pelly qualified MB BS in Sydney in 1954. He passed the College Fellowship in 1957 and worked as senior registrar in the plastic surgery, burns and oral surgery centre at Queen Mary's Hospital, Roehampton, London. He became honorary plastic surgeon to the Balmain and District Hospital

Arthur Michael Wood, the second son of Arthur Henry Wood, CB, a civil servant in the Board of Education, and of Katherine Mary Altham Wood (née Cumberlege), was born at Guildford, Surrey, on 28 January, 1919. He was educated at Lambrook School, Berkshire, Ringwood School, Winchester College, the Éco

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

Air Vice-Marshal George Henry Morley was born at Portsmouth on 22 February 1907. He went to the Middlesex Hospital Medical School where he qualified with the Conjoint Diploma in 1929. After house appointments he joined the RAF medical service in 1934 and took the FRCS the following year. In 1940

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

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

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