Clifford Francis Evans was born on 24 July 1899 at Dimboola, Victoria, Australia, where his parents had emigrated from England; his father, Frank Evans, was a master builder and his mother, Martha East, had been a schoolmistress. He qualified as a pharmaceutical chemist from Melbourne College of Pharmacy, being awarded the Gold Medal of his year. At the age of 17 he was involved in a serious accident, when his right knee was severely damaged, which led to ankylosis of the knee, and he was considerably disabled by this throughout his successful professional life. In 1926 he decided to take up medicine and came to England, where he entered as a student at the London Hospital. Because of his previous studies in Australia he was exempted from examination in chemistry and physics, but was given special coaching in biology and passed this subject in January 1927; he was awarded an honorary certificate in anatomy and physiology. He took the LRCP, MRCS Diploma in January 1931, and passed the Primary Fellowship examination in June 1932. He held a series of house appointments at the London Hospital, including the post of house surgeon to the ear, nose and throat department, where he was greatly influenced by Norman Patterson and Francis Muecke. He subsequently served as supervisor of minor surgical operations, as demonstrator of anatomy, and as clinical assistant to the aural department. He passed the final FRCS examination in 1936, took the DLO in 1940, and served for some years as senior registrar in the ear, nose and throat department at Charing Cross Hospital. He published a paper in the *Lancet* 1955, 2, 326 on "An improved bipod for Boyle-Davis gag". He visited Vienna and Minnesota as a postgraduate student after completing his term as a senior registrar. Evans was appointed ear, nose and throat consultant to the West End Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, to the Institute of Child Health, to Poplar Hospital, and to the Chelsea and Kensington Hospital Group. From his considerable experience of aural surgery he developed a special interest in plastic surgery of the face, and became an associate member of the British Association of Plastic Surgeons. He applied to join the Army during the second world war, but was at first turned down because of his ankylosed knee. He was eventually accepted at the beginning of 1944, was appointed an ENT consultant with the rank of Major, and served in West Africa. While in Africa he unfortunately suffered a perforated duodenal ulcer and had to return to England where he continued the war at Colchester Military Hospital. He married in 1944 Ann Cainan, who had trained as a nurse at University College Hospital and became a Sister at Ashridge Hospital. His hobbies included photography, engineering and travel. In his later years his health was seriously affected by a cerebral thrombosis. He died from a coronary thrombosis at his home at 9 Hood Avenue, East Sheen, on 11 February 1970.