Esther Rickards was born in London on 13 July 1893. Her father was a veterinary surgeon. She was interested in dogs all her life and wished to become a veterinary surgeon but, in those days, women were not admitted to the profession, so she decided to become a doctor. She was educated at the Polytechnic, Regent Street, Birkbeck College, the London School of Medicine and St Mary's Hospital. She qualified MRCS LRCP in 1920, MB BS London 1920, MS London in 1923 and FRCS in 1924. She did several resident posts at St Mary's Hospital, where she was influenced by Clayton Greene, Sir Zachary Cope and C A Pannett, and then joined the London County Council Service as Assistant Medical Officer at Paddington. Her main interests in life seem to have been municipal politics and dogs. She served as alderman and councillor on the LCC from 1928 and was a member of the North West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board and St Mary's Hospital Board of Governors, 1947-71, being Vice-Chairman of the Regional Board for six years for these services. She was awarded the OBE in 1966 and became honorary consulting surgeon to St Mary's Hospital in 1971. She was a founder member of the Windsor Gun Dog Society and bred cocker spaniels for 30 years, being Chairman of the London Cocker Spaniel Society up to the time of her death. She played a leading part in the formation of the European Spaniel Congress of which she became President. She was also an expert in embroidery. In 1965 she offered to embroider a new Presidential gown for the College. This was gratefully accepted and Lord Brock in his letter of thanks said 'The Members of Council were greatly impressed by the magnificence and intricacy of your work which will make the new gown one of the College's treasures. It is I think unique in the College's experience to receive an example of such work by one of our own Fellows, whose prowess with a needle is usually of rather a different order.' She died on 8 February 1977, aged 83 years.