The third son of the Rev Robert Hawkins, Vicar of Lamberhurst, Kent, was born in 1861, educated at Tonbridge School (1872-1879), matriculated at Oriel College, Oxford, in 1879, proceeded to Guy's Hospital in 1882, passed the FRCS in 1887, and had held appointments up to House Surgeon at the time of his death. He had been called upon to perform tracheotomy on several children for diphtheria, and was believed to have become infected when clearing from membrane a tracheotomy tube which had been inserted into the trachea of a child. He suffered with diphtheria for a week, at a time previous to the discovery of the antitoxin, and died on September 28th, 1888. The first part of the funeral service was held in the chapel of the hospital and was largely attended by the medical and nursing staff. He was buried at Lamberhurst. His brother, Dr H P Hawkins, was at the time Resident Assistant Physician at St Thomas's Hospital.