Peter Gortvai, the only son of William, an obstetric surgeon and his wife Elizabeth, née Foldi, LDSRCS, was born on 1 December 1927. He attended Trinity College, Cambridge, where he completed his Natural Sciences Tripos in 1951 and won the Tripos prize. He then went to the London Hospital from 1951

Gwilym Huw Griffith was a consultant general surgeon at the Royal Gwent Hospital, Newport. He was born on 2 May 1933 in Denbigh, Wales, the younger of two children. His father was a Welsh Presbyterian minister and his mother was a teacher at Howell's, an independent girls' school. Gwilym was educate

Helene Valerie Goodman was a consultant rheumatologist at St Stephen's, Westminster and Royal Marsden hospitals, London. She was born in London on 18 October 1925, the daughter of Isaac Harris Goodman, a South African businessman and exporter, and Hilda Goodman née Lubetzki. She was known as 'Paddy'

Edward Joseph Guiney (Eddie) was born on 31 January 1931. After attending Belvedere College he studied medicine at University College Dublin and graduated MB, BCh in 1956. He remained in Dublin doing house jobs at St Vincent’s Hospital (SVH) for a year before moving to Galway and spending two years

James Francis ‘Jim’ Carter was a general surgeon in Auckland, New Zealand. He was born on 17 March 1933 in Rawene Northland, New Zealand, one of six children of hardworking share milkers and agricultural labourers who frequently had to move to seek work in those days of depression. He was educated a

David Negus was a consultant general and vascular surgeon at Lewisham Hospital, London, and a pioneer in the newly emerging sub-specialty of phlebology. He was born on 11 August 1930 in London, the son of a distinguished otolaryngologist, Sir Victor Ewings Negus, and his wife, Winifred Negus née Ren

Robert Arnold Fischl was chief of the plastic surgery section of Danbury Hospital, Danbury, Connecticut. He was born in Dresden, Germany on 18 June 1928. His father, Emil Fischl, was a paper manufacturer; his mother, Bettina Hahn, was the daughter of a banker. They left Germany in 1939 and settled i

Stanley Arthur Russell (‘Stan’) Cooke was a consultant general surgeon in Johannesburg, South Africa. He was born on 18 March 1932, the son of Richard Stanley Cooke and Isobel Faulds Cooke née Russell. He was educated at St John’s College, Johannesburg, and then went to the UK to attend medical scho

Eric John Arnott was an ophthalmologist and a pioneer of modern cataract surgery. He was born on 12 June 1929 in Sunningdale. His father, Sir Robert John Arnott, was chairman of Arnott Trust, Dublin, and director of *The Irish Times*. His mother was Emita Emelia James. He attended St Peter's Court P

Edwin Carr was both a surgeon and a successful athlete. Born in Sydney on 2 September 1928, he was the son of Edwin ‘Slip’ Carr, a sprinter who represented Australia in the 1924 Paris Olympics and was a semi-finalist in the 100 meters. Edwin Junior was Australian 440 yard champion in 1949/50 and 195

Lucas Carl Jansen van Rensburg was always known as Boet. Although he was born in Parys, Free State, South Africa, his family lived mostly on the Zambian copperbelt and he travelled long distances to attend boarding school in Bethlehem. He studied medicine at the University of Cape Town and graduated

James Russell Fergusson Downie (Jim) was born on 5 November, 1932 to George and Gertrude Downie at St Georges Hospital, Kew. He spent his childhood in Auburn attending school firstly at Auburn South Primary School, then Gardenvale, the Melbourne High School where he matriculated with distinction. Th