Alan Bowen-Davies was born on 26 July 1907 and educated at Harrow School (Headmaster's House) and Pembroke College, Cambridge. He was chief clinical assistant, registrar and house surgeon to the ENT department at Guy's Hospital. He qualified MA MB BCh in 1933 and passed the Fellowship in 1936. During the second world war he served in the RAF from 1942 to 1946 in Normandy and Germany with the rank of Wing Commander RAFVR. He joined the staff of the London Hospital in 1946 and became surgeon in charge of the aural department. He was also on the staff of Redhill General Hospital until he retired and did two sessions a week which he enjoyed very much. In 1955 he published 'Disability of chronic ear disease in relation to insurance and employment' in the *Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine* and, in 1965, contributed three chapters to Scott-Brown's *Diseases of the ear nose and throat*, 2nd ed. He died on 19 February 1974, survived by his wife Irene and children, Carol, Gillie and David.