Wilfred Grundhill was born on 2 March 1920 in Brakpan, where he matriculated at the local high school in 1938. His father had emigrated from England and was employed in the gold mining industry; he developed a lung problem and his son's interest in thoracic surgery was nurtured by this misfortune. H

Born on 1 February 1911, in Belfast, the son of John Alexander Bingham, pharmaceutical chemist, and Essie Jane (née Carlson), John was educated at the Methodist College and Queen's University, Belfast. He won the Musgrave Prize in pathology and the Coulter and McWhitty Prizes. After graduating MB, B

Harold Richards was a consultant thoracic surgeon at the Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney. This is a draft obituary. If you have any information about this surgeon or are interested in writing this obituary, please email lives@rcseng.ac.uk

Vernon Thompson ('VCT') was born at Tutshill, Tidenham, Gloucestershire on 17 September 1905, his father, Cecil Charles Brandon Thompson, being a general practitioner and his mother, Dorothy Christian, née Ford, the daughter of a solicitor. He went to Seafield School, Bexhill-on-Sea, and then on to

Stephen Stephenson was born in Belfast on 5 August 1915. His parents were both graduates of Trinity College, Dublin, but had moved north. His father, John Lewis Irwin, was a schoolmaster and his mother Mabel, née Frazer, the daughter of a Methodist Minister. The family then moved to Bedford and Step

Peter Lance Brunnen was a consultant thoracic surgeon to the North East Regional Hospital Board, Scotland. He was born in Rosyth, Scotland, on 19 July 1917. His father, John Ewart Brunnen, was an electrical engineer; his mother, Elsie Victoria Augusta Brunnen née Lance was the daughter of an inspect

Doreen Nightingale was a consultant thoracic surgeon at University College Hospital, London, and the National Temperance Hospital. She was a medical student at University College London, gaining her conjoint in 1939 and her MB BS in 1940, when she was the McGrath scholar in medicine. She went on to

Aspi Homi Doctor was a thoracic surgeon in Fort Pierce, Florida. Born in Bombay on 4 September 1939 he was the third child and only son of Homi Doctor, a bank cashier, and his wife Mehra née Messman. Educated at St Sebastian High School, he then proceeded to the University of Bombay and studied medi

James Howard Brown was a thoracic surgeon in Adelaide, South Australia. He was born on 8 November 1922 in Adelaide, the son of Thomas Howard Brown and Elsie Davey Brown née James. He was educated at the Christian Brothers College and Rostrevor College and went on to study medicine at the University

Fayek Dimitri Salama was a consultant thoracic surgeon at the City Hospital, Nottingham. This is a draft obituary. If you have any information about this surgeon, or are interested in writing this obituary, please email lives@rcseng.ac.uk.

Eric Butchart was a thoracic surgeon at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff. This is a draft obituary. If you have any information about this surgeon or are interested in writing this obituary, please email lives@rcseng.ac.uk

Michael Bates, the second son and youngest of three children of Tom Bates, a surgeon, was born in Worcester in July 1917. There were strong surgical roots in the family, his father being surgeon to the Worcester Royal Infirmary for 34 years, while his paternal grandfather - another Tom Bates - and a