Harry Clifford Jones was born at Gateshead, County Durham, on 10 November 1925 and graduated MB BS from King's College, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, in 1948. After appointments at Ashington and national service in the Royal Air Force he became registrar in orthopaedic surgery at Hexham General Hospital. In 1951 he returned to Gateshead as surgical registrar at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and took the FRCS in 1953. After four years as registrar and senior registrar at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, he moved to be senior registrar in genito-urinary surgery at Newcastle General Hospital. During this period he made an extensive study of the treatment of tumours of the bladder which was to be the basis of the thesis by which he proceeded MS in 1963. He was appointed consultant to the Sunderland Group of Hospitals in May that year. At Sunderland he took a special interest in paediatric surgery, particularly genito-urinary problems. To this work he brought scrupulous technical skill and infinite patience. After a long and distressing illness he quickly returned to his previous vigour, and though often in considerable pain continued courageously and quietly to maintain his high standards of skill and care. He was a keen and skilful fisherman and, until threatened with deafness, a wildfowler. To his hobbies he gave the same thoughtful study that he gave to his work: an empty bag did not represent a failed outing, for he would have observed some new feature to add to his experience and interest. His enthusiasm and knowledge made him a fascinating conversationalist. He was married, his wife being an anaesthetist, and had a daughter and two sons. He died on 18 July 1974, aged 48.