Roberta Cowell , born Robert Marshall Cowell , father of two , whose sensational change of sex ( man to woman ) confounded the world when revealed in 1954, made medical and press history . It is believed that such a complete and perfrect transformation of this kind has no precedent . He was the son , now daughter , of General Sir Ernest Cowell , KBE , CB , DSO , an honorary surgeon to King George VI and General Eisenhower's director of medical services in the North African campaign Photo shows: Roberta Cowell seen shopping at the Fontalco store in Rome 17 April 1954