Born 3 November 1868 the third and youngest child of John McGavin, a merchant at Calcutta, and his wife, *née* Brown. He was educated at Fettes College, Edinburgh, and subsequently passed out of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, being gazetted lieutenant in the 6th Dragoon Guards, the Carabineers. Finding that his tastes and interests lay in the profession of medicine he resigned his commission in 1893 and entered Guy's Hospital. Here he acted as surgical registrar and assistant demonstrator of anatomy. He was subsequently surgeon to the North West London Hospital, to the Women's Hospital in Soho, and to the Dreadnought Hospital. He practised at 32 Weymouth Street, W. During the war of 1914-18 ill-health prevented him from volunteering for active service, but he did good work at the Endsleigh Hospital for Officers, at King George's Hospital, at the Michie Red Cross Hospital, and as a member of the final board of medical assessors. For these services he was decorated CBE (mil) in 1920. Ill-health continuing he retired to Frant, Sussex in 1919, and wrote there *The King's Jester*, a novel which had considerable success. He married in 1892 Edith Mary, daughter of Horatio Beauchamp of Melbourne, Victoria, who survived him with three daughters. Mrs McGavin died in London on 28 December 1947. He died on 31 October 1932 at 62 Bouverie Road West, Folkestone, and was buried in Brookwood cemetery. Publication:- "Hernia" and "Spinal analgesia", in Choyce's System of Surgery, 3rd edition, London, 1932. He did pioneer work in filigree implantation for hernia, and used stovain extensively for intraspinal injection.