'Bill' Irvine was born 19 March 1925 in Glasgow, the son of George Irvine. He was educated by his father and then at the University of Glasgow. After qualifying he planned his own programme of surgical training and successively worked with Sir Charles Illingworth (Glasgow), Peter McEvedy (Manchester

Ibrahim El Moghraby was educated at Gordon's Memorial College in Khartoum and the Kitchener School of Medicine, where he graduated with distinction in 1935 after winning prizes in both medicine and surgery. He subsequently joined the Sudan medical service and after appointments at Khartoum Civil

Lynn Evans was born in Aberystwyth on 12 December 1920. His family were all connected with the University of Wales as both his parents, his brother and his two sisters studied there. His father, David Evans, became Professor of Modern Languages (German-Swedish) at Aberystwyth and his mother, Margare

Martin Birnstingl was a consultant vascular surgeon at St Bartholomew's Hospital, London, and was widely respected for his expertise and for his clear and concise teaching of undergraduate and postgraduate students. He was also a consultant surgeon to the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital and serv

William Douglas Friend was visiting surgeon at the Royal Brisbane Hospital. He was born on 22 September 1924, in Brisbane, where his father Percy Alfred Friend was a sheep-farmer. His mother, Dorothy Frances, née Webb, had served as a staff nurse with the 2nd Australian General Hospital in Egypt and

Guan Bee Ong, or ‘G B’ as he was known to his many friends and colleagues throughout the world, was a pioneering surgeon in Hong Kong. In the many tributes following his death, he was described as “a giant among surgeons”, “a craftsman, innovator and statesman” and “a far-sighted and dynamic leader”