Born on 26 September 1879, the youngest (fifth) child and only son of James Bankart, FRCS (1862) of Southernhay, Exeter, and Gertrude Moss, his wife. Hew as educated at Rugby School and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he took second-class honours in the Natural Sciences Tripos 1901. He took his clinical training at Guy's Hospital, where he served as house surgeon and out-patient officer. As surgical registrar he came under the influence of "Willie" (Sir W Arbuthnot) Lane, who was at the height of his fame and probably the most brilliant and original surgeon then in London. Bankart also served the hospital as clinical assistant and surgical tutor. Lane's interest in the reparative surgery of bone led Bankart to specialize in orthopaedics. At the same time he acquired from (Sir) Charles Sherrington's teaching a life-long interest in the fundamental processes of biology and physiology. Bankart was appointed in 1909 the first registrar of the newly formed Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, became assistant surgeon in 1911, and surgeon in 1913, a position he held till 1947. From 1912 to 1934 he was also surgeon to the Hospital for Epilepsy and Paralysis, Maida Vale, although his increasing orthopaedic work latterly left him little time for his other chief interest, neurosurgery, in which he had been a pupil of Herbert Campbell Thomson. He was appointed orthopaedic surgeon to Middlesex Hospital in 1921, and from small beginnings built up a large and important department. He was also surgeon to the Queen's Hospital for Children, and had been assistant surgeon at the Belgrave Hospital for Children. Bankart's opportunity came in the first world war. He was at first attached to various of the small military hospitals in London, but later joined Sir Robert Jones at the Ministry of Pensions' central orthopaedic hospital at Shepherd's Bush. After the war he continued this work as Consulting surgeon to Queen Mary's convalescent auxiliary hospitals. Bankart was skilled at manipulative surgery; he followed up many of Sir Herbert Barker's patients; and he did much by his work on the subject to convince the public that manipulation can be practised better by orthodox, trained surgeons than by unqualified 'osteopaths'. Among his many useful contributions to surgery was a new operation for recurrent dislocation of the shoulder joint. He was the first secretary (1913) of the Orthopaedic section of the Royal Society of Medicine, and sectional vice-president in 1925. He was a founder-member of the British Orthopaedic Association, its secretary 1926-31 and president 1932-33. He was also a member of the Société internationale de Chirurgie orthopédique, and an honorary member of the Société française orthopédique. He belonged, too, to the Society of British Neurological Surgeons. Bankart married in 1913 Beryl Winifred, only daughter of A S Moss-Blundell of Sparsholt, near Winchester, who survived him with a daughter. He died on 8 April 1951 of heart failure, and was cremated at Golders Green. He had lived at 63 South Edwardes Square, Kensington, with consulting rooms at 95 Harley Street. He was slim and pale, with a distaste for the mediocre, which made him shy of general company. He cultivated his appreciation of fine wine and fine furniture. Publications:- *Manipulative surgery*. London: Constable, 1932. 150 pp. Recurrent or habitual dislocation of the shoulder joint. *Brit med J*. 1923, 2, 1132. The pathology and treatment of recurrent dislocation of the shoulder joint. *Brit J Surg*. 1938, 26, 23. An operation for recurrent dislocation (sub-luxation) of the stemo-clavicular joint. *Brit J Surg*. 1938, 26, 3200. Treatment of intracapsular fracture of,the femoral neck. *Lancet*, 1942, 1, 249. Fractures of the os calcis. *Lancet*, 1942, 2, 175.