Born in 1894 the son of William John Colborne MRCS 1886, Surgeon Royal Navy and afterwards Deputy Surgeon General of the Navy in the first world war and later Inspector General of Naval Hospitals, John Colborne (he did not use his first name) qualified with the Conjoint Diploma from Charing Cross Hospital and was at once commissioned as a Surgeon-Lieutenant RN and posted to Haslar. He was on active service in the battleship HMS *Barham*, flagship of Rear-Admiral Evan-Thomas at the Battle of Jutland in the summer of 1916. After a second period at Haslar he was posted to the battleship HMS *Resolution* during 1919-20 and served in HMSS *Comus* and *Colombo* before appointment to the Royal Marine Infirmary at Deal. He was much encouraged in his work at this time by R G Willan, professor of surgery at the University of Durham, who served with distinction in the Naval Reserve in both world wars; Willan was later a member of the College Council (see *Lives of Fellows* 1952-64 pages 442-444). Colborne was posted to the RN Hospital at Stonehouse, Plymouth as ear, nose and throat specialist in 1928, and after serving in the cruiser *Sussex* as Surgeon Lieutenant-Commander he returned to Plymouth as surgical specialist 1932-35. His next post was a surgeon specialist in the Flagship of the Home Fleet HMS *Rodney*, but from 1938 he was again at Stonehouse until in 1942 he was given command of the RN Auxiliary Hospital, Sherborne, in the rank of Surgeon Captain. He was sent out to Durban in 1943 at the height of the second world war, but contracting a severe illness, from which he never wholly recovered, he was invalided home in 1944. He was however well enough to resume full duties at Sherborne till appointed Senior Medical Officer (Surgery) at Haslar in 1947. The summit of his career was achieved in October 1948, when he was promoted Surgeon Rear-Admiral and appointed Medical Officer in charge of the RN Hospital Plymouth. He was created CB in 1950 and retired in 1951, and was made an Honorary Surgeon to the King. He served for a few years as administrative medical officer to the Regional Hospital Board for Wales, but subsequently lived at Croft House, Yealmpton. His health failing he became a patient in the Royal Naval Hospital at Plymouth, which he had served so often and so long; he died there after long illness on 3 November 1971 aged seventy-seven. Colborne had married Florence Alice Cutbush in 1924; she supported him in all his work and devotedly looked after him in his illness, practically living in the Hospital in the final years.