"Hailing from small beginnings in rural Waimate, William Manchester became a battalion medical officer with the New Zealand Amy in the United Kingdom during World War II. Selected in 1941 to train as a plastic surgeon, serendipitously under the supervision of the great pioneers Gillies, McIndoe, Mowlem and Barron - all New Zealanders - he excelled in this evolving surgical craft...This biography is based on the extensive archives left by Sir William, the authors' research into his achievements and their personal knowledge of him, working with his as a trainee and colleague."--Back cover.