Born at Blaydon-on-Tyne on 24 March 1871, the eldest of the seven children of Michael Urwin, provision merchant, and his wife Ann Johnson. He was educated at the Science and Art School, now the Rutherford College, Newcastle-on-Tyne, and at Glasgow University, where he was awarded the Brunton memorial prize as the best scholar in medicine of his year. He served as house surgeon at the Clayton Hospital, Wakefield, at the Eye and Ear Infirmary, Liverpool, and at the Stanley Hospital, also at Liverpool. Taking his Membership after a postgraduate course at St Bartholomew's Hospital, he was gazetted lieutenant in the IMS on 27 July 1899, captain on 27 July 1902, major on 28 January 1911, and lieutenant-colonel on 28 January 1919. He retired from the service on 19 July 1924. Most of his service was in civil practice in Bengal and Bihar, but during the war of 1914-18 he returned to military duty and was twice mentioned in despatches (*London Gazette*, 28 December 1917 and 5 June 1919). He died unmarried on 24 April 1938 at Fairfield, Warkworth, Northumberland.