Frank Colby was born at The Mount, New Malton, Yorks, on 27 January 1865, the second son of Dr W Taylor Colby, JP and the younger brother of J G E Colby, FRCS. He was educated at St Peter's School, York, and matriculated from King's College, Cambridge, after winning an open scholarship in science. He graduated with a first class in part 1 and a second class in part 2 of the Natural Sciences tripos. At St Bartholomew's Hospital he served as house surgeon and ophthalmic house surgeon; at the Hospital for Sick Children in Great Ormond Street he was a clinical assistant. He practised for a short time at Surbiton, but the greater part of his professional life was spent at Woking where he was medical officer to the cottage hospital. He married on 1 May 1900 Elsie Bryant, whose father was the Bryant of Bryant and May, the manufacturers of matches. She survived him with three sons. He died quite suddenly whilst shooting snipe at Woking on 20 January 1933, and was buried in Brookwood cemetery. Colby was a typical north Yorkshireman, not very tall, shrewd, alert, and friendly; he built up a large practice in a neighbourhood which grew rapidly, and in it he exercised very considerable influence for good. He was fond of sport, and retained his Yorkshire speech to the last.