John Myles Bickerton was born at Hoylake, Cheshire on 28 August 1894, the youngest son of Thomas Herbert Bickerton, and Mary Jessie, née Burton. He was educated at the Leas School, Hoylake, Leighton Park School, Reading, Pembroke College, Cambridge, and King's College Hospital Medical School where he was Burney Yeo Scholar. He held a number of appointments including senior ophthalmic surgeon, King's College Hospital; Dean of the Royal Eye Hospital and ophthalmic consultant to the London County Council. During the first world war he served in the RNVR as a surgeon probationer in HM Ships *Lawford* and *Sybille*, and in HMS *Royal Oak* 1918-1919 as Surgeon Lieutenant. He returned to King's College Hospital and in 1921 he joined Sir Robert Houston's yacht as surgical specialist for some months, again returning to his hospitals and private practice. Between the wars he became interested in flying, learned to fly and joined the RAFVR in 1937, becoming the first doctor to do so. He was made a Wing Commander. Flying became his chief recreation, with the result he had an aerodrome built at Denham. It was used a great deal during the second world war and is now very useful to the community at large. He came from a famous Liverpool medical family who all became ophthalmic surgeons. His grandfather Thomas was an FRCS Ed. His father Thomas Herbert was elected FRCS in 1926 and was the first person to draw attention to the problem of colour blindness in marine personnel. His uncle Col R E Bickerton DSO was an eye specialist in London, Vienna and Zurich working for the Army in the first world war and afterwards for St Dunstan's. John Myles's many publications included *The inheritance of blindness*, *Eye diseases in general practice* and *The bespectacled pilot*. He always maintained that the surgeons who gave him the most help and encouragement were L V Cargill, Sir Robert Jones, W Lyle, Sir Cecil Wakeley and Sir St Clair Thomson. He was an entertaining and witty companion. He married twice, and had one son and three surviving daughters. He died on 13 March 1977.