John Samuel William Chambers was born in Southampton on 1 July 1926, the son of Samuel Bacon Chambers and his wife Mary Ann née Carey. He studied medicine at Cambridge University and trained at University College Hospital, London. After house jobs at St James’ Hospital, Balham and serving as a tempo

Anthony George Ackerley was a consultant pathologist in Leicester. Born in Wolstanton, Staffordshire on 3 February 1925, he was the only child of George Ackerley, a schoolmaster and his wife Ethel née Edge. She was the daughter of Andrew Edge, a shoemaker who was to become Burgess of the Borough of

David Hugh Nixseaman was a consultant ophthalmic surgeon in Ayrshire and Galloway. He was born in Norwich, Norfolk on 16 December 1924. His father, Alfred Jonathan Seaman, was a chaplain to HM Forces in India; his mother was Edith Minna Seaman née Nix-James, a teacher and the daughter of an engraver

John Pritchard Williams was a consultant urological surgeon to St Peter’s Hospital, Greenwich District Hospital and King Edward VII’s Hospital for Officers in London. He was also an honorary consultant urologist to the Army. ‘JP’, as he was always known to friends and colleagues, was born on St V

Vernon Hope Smith was a consultant ophthalmologist at Birmingham and West Midlands Eye Hospital and a senior tutor in ophthalmology at Birmingham University. He was born on 27 April 1925. His father, Vernon, and his uncle, Reginald, were distinguished ENT surgeons in Manchester. He was educated at R

John Fairgrieve was a consultant vascular and general surgeon in Cheltenham who, in his youth, was an outstanding sprinter representing Great Britain in the 1948 Olympic Games and reaching the quarter final in the 200m. Although John was English, being born in London, he had Scottish roots as bot

Rolf Carter Shepherd was a general surgeon with an interest in vascular surgery. He established the peripheral vascular service for Bournemouth, Dorset and Jersey in the early 1960s and for 15 years ran this service single-handed. He was born in Cardiff on 8 June 1926, where his father, Charles Wool

David John Dyson Perrins was an expert in the use of hyperbaric oxygen and a former MRC research fellow at Churchill Hospital, Oxford. Born in 1924, he studied medicine at Jesus College, Cambridge, and rowed for the university in the 1946 Boat Race. He completed his clinical studies at St Thomas's,

Keith Paterson Abel, son of the distinguished surgeon Lawrence Abel FRCS and Margaret Russell Paterson MD MRCP was born on 31 July 1926. He was educated at Rugby and Upper Canada College, Toronto, and then at Trinity College, Cambridge. After the Natural Science Tripos he went to St Mary's Hospital