Eric Price Clarke was born on 14 October 1913 at Blackburn, Lancs, the only child of Lancashire-born parents; his father, a graduate of Manchester University, was a schoolmaster, later joining the Home Office as an Inspector of Factories. Eric was educated at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Blackburn. He obtained a scholarship to Plymouth College, Plymouth and from there he went up to St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College at the early age of 16 and a half. He qualified MB, BS with honours in surgery in 1936 and stayed on at Bart's as house surgeon and casualty house surgeon to the Professorial Unit under Sir James Paterson Ross. He worked at the Wellhouse Hospital (now Barnet General Hospital) under H R Seager, and the Lord Mayor Treloar Hospital, Alton, under Sir Henry Gauvain. He was appointed to St Richard's Hospital, Chichester in February 1940, under Douglas Martin, as surgeon and deputy surgeon superintendent. In 1941 he joined the RAMC and in the rank of Major served as surgical specialist with the First Army in North Africa and Italy. He was seconded for work in Greece during the Civil War doing major traumatic surgery under the most primitive, unconventional and exciting conditions. He returned to Chichester in 1947 and obtained the FRCS in 1948. At the initiation of the National Health Service in 1948 he was graded senior hospital medical officer, being upgraded to consultant surgeon to the Chichester Group Hospitals in 1951 and serving them until his death. He was an excellent and versatile general surgeon. He had a sound clinical judgement and his opinion was much sought after by his medical colleagues. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine. He was a member of the Chichester Group Medical Advisory Committee and of the Bognor War Memorial Hospital Medical Staff Committee; in September 1967 he became Chairman of the latter. He had a great affection for Bognor Hospital which was reciprocated by all members of the staff which he served so well. He had a quiet, gentle character and a deep sense of humour which served him well through his last illness. Everybody knew him as "Nobby" Clarke and called him affectionately by his nickname. He was the most gentle, stable, indeed lovable personality and the tribute paid to him by all grades of hospital staff from porters, secretaries, nurses and doctors bear eloquent testimony to this. His humour and his kindly touch endeared him to his patients. His hobbies were few. He has always read extensively, preferring biography and detective novels. He was fond of music, surprisingly preferring traditional jazz and brass bands. As a student he played rugby at Bart's and sailed in ocean yachts as a member of the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club, Burnham-on-Crouch, visiting Heligoland, the Baltic and Finland. In Chichester he played tennis and squash and was a member of the hospital mixed hockey team. On 6 October 1939 he married Helen B M Hatt, SRN, a parson's daughter who trained with him at Bart's. She survived him with a daughter and two sons, the elder son Peter trained at Bart's and went into general practice. In September 1968 he developed Hodgkin's disease which he bore with fortitude and cheerfulness. Between spells of treatment he heroically came back to work. He died in King Edward VII Hospital, Midhurst on 18 October 1969 aged 56.