Raymond Kirk, known throughout his entire professional life as ‘Jerry’, was a late entrant to medicine, having left school at 16 and serving for four years in the Royal Navy in the Second World War, before becoming one of the most celebrated surgical educators of his day through his outstanding teac

'Johnnie' John was born on 9 July 1921 in New Tredegar. He was educated at Bedwellty Grammar School. Reports have it that he was a talented scholar with a reluctance to apply his maximum effort either to work or to play. On leaving school in 1940 he entered the Royal Air Force and trained as a navig

Richard Anthony Payne, known to all as 'Tony', was a consultant general surgeon at the North Middlesex Hospital in London. He was born on 17 July 1921, in Worcester, the son of Herbert George Payne, a master at Haberdasher's Aske's School, and Jessica Sweeney. He was educated at his father's school

Neil Stamford Painter was born in London on 23 February 1923, the only son of Robert Painter, a consulting engineer, and Dorothy, née Matthews, a concert soprano. He was educated at St Michael's School, Otford, Kent and obtained a scholarship to Woodbridge School, Suffolk. On leaving school he enter

Colin Graham-Stewart qualified at St Thomas's Hospital with the conjoint, only taking the London MB long after the war. He did his surgical training at Essex County Hospital, Colchester, and in Portsmouth, and was resident assistant surgeon at St Thomas's. He was appointed consultant surgeon to Harr

John Candy was born at Newport, Monmouthshire, on 8 January 1924, the son of Thomas Ignatius Candy, MD Belfast, a consulting radiologist. His paternal uncle was a general practitioner in Edinburgh. He was educated at Dolgelly Grammar School and Guy's Hospital Medical School which he entered in 1941.

Cyril Toker was chief of surgical pathology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore. He was born in Ermelo, South Africa on 29 March 1930, the first of two sons of Philip and Fay Toker. Philip and Fay Toker immigrated as young children with their families to South Africa from Lit