Joseph Edward Oliver was born on 12 September 1920, and was educated at Coatham School, Caius College, Cambridge, and St Bartholomew's Hospital. He qualified with the Conjoint Diploma and the Cambridge MB in 1943, and became house surgeon at Park Prewett Hospital, Basingstoke before joining the RAMC later in that year. He was present at the Normandy landings, and also served in India and Burma. After demobilization he worked at Hillingdon Hospital, and was surgical registrar at the Prince of Wales Hospital, Tottenham preparing for the FRCS which he took in 1953. In 1944 he was appointed senior registrar to the Nottingham General Hospital, and after rotating to the Sheffield Royal Infirmary returned to Nottingham where he was appointed to the consultant staff in 1964. He specialized in vascular surgery in which he achieved considerable success. Oliver was well-liked by colleagues and patients, and admired for his good humour and general vitality as well as for his surgical skill. His hobby was sailing an ocean-going yacht at Burnham-on-Crouch; he died suddenly just after returning from a river trip on 7 July 1973, at the early age of 52. He was survived by his wife and two sons.