John Bentham Morris was born in 1932, the son of a distinguished orthopaedic surgeon, and was educated at King's College, Auckland, and then proceeded to the University of Otago where he graduated in medicine in 1956. After holding junior appointments in New Zealand he came to England and obtained the FRCS in 1960. He then concentrated on orthopaedic training by holding appointments at the Rowley Bristow Orthopaedic Hospital, the Park Hospital at Davyhulme, Manchester, and at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital before going to the United States as a British Orthopaedic Travelling Fellow. On his return to New Zealand he became an orthopaedic surgeon at Middlemore Hospital in Auckland, and had established himself as a dextrous operator, whose good judgement and integrity were respected by his colleagues, when his life was cut short by malignant disease at the early age of 37. Morris was a fine sportsman, particularly distinguished for his record as a cricketer but being a university blue for rugby as well as cricket. When he died on 10 January 1970 his wife and three children survived him.