Born on 22 January 1886 at Balham, the eldest son of Thomas Henry Webb, bank manager, and Alice Mills, his wife. He entered Merchant Taylors' School, then situated in Charterhouse Square, in 1895 and left in 1902. He received his medical education at Middlesex Hospital where he had a brilliant career; exhibitioner in 1905, Broderip scholar and Lyell gold medallist in 1908, house surgeon in 1909, casualty officer 1910-12, surgical registrar 1912-14, assistant surgeon 1917-1930. He was also for a time surgeon to St Saviour's Hospital in Osnaburgh Street, NW1. During the Balkan war of 1912-13 he served with a Red Cross unit, and on the outbreak of the first world war he received a commission as lieutenant, RAMC on 10 August 1914 (captain, 10 August 1915, acting major, January 1918), and proceeded at once to France with the British Expeditionary Force. He was posted to the 4th casualty clearing station and remained with it until 1918, when he was placed in charge of a surgical division of the 24th General Hospital at Staples. During his service in France and *in absentia*, he was elected in 1917 assistant surgeon to the Middlesex Hospital, but did not take up the duties until he was demobilized in 1919. He resigned in 1930 and was subsequently appointed consulting surgeon to the Middlesex County Council. During the latter years of his life he was attached to the West Middlesex County Hospital at Isleworth, where he died of infective endocarditis on 1 June 1937. He married Norah Pearson on 14 September 1935. She survived him but without children. Webb's gifts were many. He was a fine linguist, a great lover of music, and a good organist and pianist. He was captain of the University of London Chess Club in 1910-11 and gained his half-blue for chess. His operative experience was very great, he was an excellent teacher and a friend to his students. Publications: Gas gangrene, in *Index of prognosis* edited by A. Rendle Short, 2nd edition, 1918, pp 275-280. Note on the Phloridzin test in the estimation of renal efficiency. *Arch Middx Hosp* 1913, 31, 20. After-history of patients on whom the operation of gastro-enterostomy has been performed for non-malignant disease. *Ibid* 1914, 32, 10. Notes on thirty-two cases of penetrating wounds of the abdomen treated at a casualty clearing station in France, with E T C Milligan. *Brit J Surg* 1916-17, 4, 338-367. The paper was important, for the authors were amongst the first to advocate the operative treatment of gunshot wounds of the abdomen.