Hedley Walter Hall was born in Farsley, near Leeds, on 3 October 1907. His father, Walter, was a Methodist minister. His mother was Julia Florence née Copestake. He was educated at Goole Primary and Secondary Schools, then Shebbear College, north Devon, where he was captain of the school. He studied medicine at King’s College, London, and went on to University College Hospital for his clinical studies. He was a house surgeon at UCH, a radium registrar and a night anaesthetist. He went on to the Central Middlesex Hospital, where he was a registrar, and the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital. During his training he was particularly influenced by Gwynne Williams, Philip Wiles, Norman Matheson and Illtyd James. He was a Major in the RAMC from 1947 to 1949. He was appointed as a consultant orthopaedic surgeon to the North Middlesex Hospital and then to the Bath clinical area. He was a consultant orthopaedic surgeon to the Shaftsbury Home at Malmsbury. He married a Miss Waterman in 1938, a ward sister at UCH. They had one son and one daughter, Margaret. He enjoyed cricket, played for Hinton Charterhouse until he was over 50, and was president of the club. He was also interested in archaeology, gardening, bee keeping, literature, theatre and travel. He was a governor of his old school, Shebbear College. He died on 22 September 2003.