Educated at Aberdeen University, he was appointed house surgeon at Greenbank Hospital, Darlington in 1901, and then spent several years as a ship's surgeon, visiting Egypt, India, Malaya and Japan. He returned to Aberdeen to study anatomy and physiology and from there followed Sir Arthur Keith to London for postgraduate work at the London Hospital. He returned to Darlington after obtaining his Fellowship and in 1907 went into practice with John Hartley and was appointed surgeon to Greenbank Hospital. In 1938 he was appointed surgeon to the Memorial Hospital from which he retired in 1953. A capable surgeon he received high commendation from Grey Turner in Newcastle. A man of small stature, he had been an amateur light-weight boxer in his youth. Well versed in the classics, he was well known after-dinner speaker and an authority on Robert Burns. His wife Ethel died five years before him and they had two daughters. He died on 12 August 1963 aged 84.