William Gissane was born in Sydney on 26 April 1898 and educated at Ignatius College, where he captained the cricket and boxing and played rugby for the public schools of New South Wales. He served in the RAA during the first world war and returned to Australia to study medicine at the University of

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

James Bagot Oldham was born in Belfast on 7 November 1899, the first child of Samuel Charles Oldham, a ship repair director and of his wife Kathleen, née O'Flaherty. Most of his father's family were in the medical profession. He was cousin to Sir Hugh Rigby FRCS, Sergeant-Surgeon to HM George V.

Cecil Wood Flemming, the son of Percy Flemming, ophthalmic surgeon at University College Hospital and Dr Elizabeth Flemming, physician to the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital, was born on 20 August 1902 at Ewhurst, Surrey. He was educated at Rugby School and Trinity College, Oxford, moving to Uni

Robert Milnes Walker was born on 2 August 1903, the younger brother of John Henry (qv). He too was educated at Oundle School, where he became public schools gymnastic champion, and at University College Hospital where he graduated MB, BS (gold medal) in 1926. He was one of the last house surgeons to