Born 20 December 1862, the only child of Dr John Comley Olive, whose name is not in the *Medical Register*, and his wife, *née* Binley. He was educated at Caversham, Reading, and at St John's College, Cambridge, of which he was an exhibitioner. He took second class honours in the Natural Sciences Tripos, part 1, 1884. He won a preliminary science exhibition and prize at St Bartholomew's Hospital, qualified in 1889, and served as house surgeon and as senior assistant in the throat department. After serving as house surgeon at the General Hospital, Birmingham, he settled in practice at Leamington, Warwickshire, where he became surgeon to the Warneford Hospital in 1894, after taking the Cambridge MD degree. He practised at 35 Beauchamp Avenue, and later lived at 19 Kenilworth Road. After giving up operative surgery, he practised for many years as an anaesthetist. Olive lived a full and valuable life, and died at Leamington on 14 April 1951, aged 88. He married in 1895 Annie Gordon Price, and was survived by their twin daughters.