Arthur Espie Porritt was born in Wanganui, New Zealand, the elder son of E E Porritt, VD, MD, FRCS, and of Ivy Elizabeth, née Mackenzie, whose father was also a medical practitioner. After education at Wanganui Collegiate School and Otago University, where he had an outstanding athletic record, he s

Arthur Elliot-Smith was born in Cairo on 3 June 1901. He was the son of Sir Grafton Elliot-Smith the distinguished anatomist and anthropologist; his mother's maiden name was Kathleen Macready. He graduated from Clare College, Cambridge, before coming to University College Hospital and on from which

Frederick Herman Aitken Walker, the only child of Frederick, a cotton manufacturer, and of Edith Walker, was born on 1 July 1900 at Clayton Le Moors, Lancashire. He was educated at Calday Grange School, West Kirby, Cheshire, and, after one year as a medical student at Liverpool University he moved t

Born in Dublin on 5 November 1897, the daughter of John Sandes of Greenville, Listowel, Co Kerry, she was educated at Wimbledon High School and the London School of Medicine for Women, since 1947 the Royal Free Hospital Medical School. Her interest in medicine was aroused during her school days by E

Walter Stanley Chapman studied medicine at University College Hospital, qualified MB BS in 1926 and was awarded an MD in 1932. He was appointed resident surgical officer to Bolingbroke Hospital and surgeon to the Worthing Hospital Group. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine. During the s

Alfred Charles Fisher was born on 26 June 1905 in Lurgan, Co Armagh. Both his father and uncle were physicians. When five months old he went with his parents to Northern Rhodesia; en route he was carried over the girders of the uncompleted Victoria Falls bridge before the roadway was put on. He was

Arnold Guy Harsant was born in London on 16 November 1893 and educated at St Paul's School, Kensington. He gained a scholarship to the London Hospital, qualified with the Conjoint Diploma in 1916, and that year was granted a regular commission in the RAMC. He served in the Salonika Campaign from 191

John Mark was born at Te Puke in 1901, and winning a national scholarship from his preparatory school he went to Auckland Grammar School and then to the University of Otago where he graduated MB ChB in 1926. After his early resident posts in Auckland Public Hospital he came over to London to work fo

Archie Murrell Acheson Moore, known as Dintie, was born in Pretoria on 14 August 1904 and underwent his early education in South Africa. He came to London with his family at the age of seventeen but within a year his father had died, leaving the family with very little money. He entered the London H

James Cosbie Ross was born in Liverpool on 17 May 1904. He was the son and grandson of doctors, his father being James Ross, a general practitioner in Walton, Liverpool. His mother was Delia Cosbie and James, as the eldest child, took the name of Cosbie. James used this name and linked Ross as 'Cobb

Ralph Marnham was born in Stellenbosch, South Africa on 7 June 1901, the eldest son of Arthur Marnham, a farmer, and Janet (née Micklem) the daughter of a farmer. He was educated at Diocesan College, Rondebosch and on coming to England, at Caius College, Cambridge and St George's Hospital, London, q

Shantilal Mehta was a distinguished surgeon and superintendent of the Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy Hospital in Mumbai, India. He was born on 10 January 1905 in Surendranagar, Saurashtra. As educational opportunities were limited in his local area, Mehta went to live with his maternal grandfather, Motilal