Frank Radcliffe was born on 30 August 1908 at Oldham, Lancs. His father was a medical practitioner. He was educated at Oundle, Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, and St Bartholomew's Hospital, graduating in medicine in 1932. After house appointments he was in partnership in general practice at Kettering and also honorary assistant surgeon to Kettering General Hospital. For most of that period he was also medical officer to the Post Office at Kettering. During the second world war he was orthopaedic specialist, Emergency Medical Service. From D-Day this appointment entailed much work at the City General Hospital, Leicester, and in addition a ward for the wounded was set aside at Kettering under his sole care. He had a further 40 beds at the British Red Cross Convalescent Home near Oundle. From 1948 to 1951 he was orthopaedic and accident surgeon at Kettering General Hospital and assisted at clinics at Manfield Orthopaedic Hospital, Northampton. His responsibilities at that time covered a population of 80,000. He published several papers, including one in the *British journal of surgery* on avulsion of the forequarter. With the establishment of the NHS he became consultant orthopaedic and accident surgeon at Kettering. Frank Radcliffe enjoyed horse-riding, gardening, and sailing. For many years he was a member of the Royal Norfolk and Suffolk Yacht Club, and he sailed with great distinction in racing. He married Miss Harley Jones in 1934 and they had one son and one daughter. He died in 1977, aged 68.