Day five of the ‘advent calendar’ focusing on some of the historical/genealogical sources that I used in the writing of Barefoot on the Cobbles.

Dr Toye Western Times 28 January 1938

Several medical men grace the pages of the novel and in my quest to learn more about them, I came across Plarr’s Lives of the Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons. Using their database, it is possible to search for RCS members and find details of their lives and careers. Plarr’s Lives started life as printed volumes, published between 1930 and 2005, the first of which were compiled by the then College librarian Victor Plarr. More recent obituaries have been added since. Entries vary in the amount of detail that is given and many are based on family contributions.

More information about Barefoot on the Cobbles can be found here. Copies are available at various events and at all my presentations. You can order from Blue Poppy Publishing or directly from me. Kindle editions are available for those in the UK, USA, Australasia and Canada.