Born 1873 at Stratford St Mary, Suffolk, only son and eldest of the three children of Ferdinand Campion Batchelor, MRCS 1871 and Annie Jordison, his wife, who came of a Cheshire family. His father was at that time district medical officer of the Samford Union, but emigrated to New Zealand in 1874. He attained distinction in the medical profession there, becoming gynaecologist to the Dunedin Hospital, MD Durham 1885, and president of the Intercolonial Medical Congress 1896; he died in 1915 (*New Zealand medical Journal*, 1915-16, 14, 258, with portrait). F S Batchelor was educated at the Otago Boys' High School, Dunedin, and at Guy's Hospital, where his father had been before him. He served as obstetric resident and house surgeon at Guy's, and was then for a time on the staff of the Kasr el Aini Hospital, Cairo. After taking the English Fellowship in 1901 he went back to New Zealand, where he ultimately became consulting surgeon to the Dunedin Hospital. He was an active member of the British Medical Association, serving as chairman of the Otago division 1927, and president of the New Zealand branch 1928. In 1903 he married Florence J M Butterworth, who survived him with three sons and a daughter. Batchelor practised at 19 London Street and later at Brinkburn, 2 Belmont Lane, Musselburgh Rise, Dunedin, where he died on 11 March 1942.