Martyn Bryant was a consultant orthopaedic and trauma surgeon at Chesterfield Royal Hospital. He studied medicine in London and qualified MB BS from King's College Medical School in 1981. He began his training programme in Hull and then moved to Belfast where his senior registrar post gave him ample experience in the management of trauma. His MD thesis was on the survival of joint replacements. He returned to Hull as a consultant in 1993 and moved to Chesterfield in 1998. In the department of orthopaedics at the Royal Hospital, Chesterfield, he established a specialist service for shoulder and elbow problems. He had a reputation as a careful, caring and thoughtful surgeon and his experiences in Northern Ireland, led to him being able to remain calm and efficient in the face of major trauma. His interests included running and cycling. He died at home, aged 45 years, on 26 August 2003 after a diagnosis of carcinoma of the stomach, which he faced with dignity and the dry humour that was characteristic of him. He was survived by his mother, wife Marie, and two sons.