Roy Pierre Jerman was born in Blyth, Northumberland, on 10 December 1933 and after early education at King Edward VI School, Morpeth, entered King's College Medical School, Newcastle, qualifying in 1956. After early house appointments he entered the Royal Air Force for National Service and in addition to serving overseas in Aden he represented the Air Force in the inter-service tennis matches at Wimbledon. After demobilisation he returned to Newcastle for surgical training, passing the FRCS in 1962. He was surgical registrar at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle, and spent a year at the Leeds regional thoracic centre before being appointed senior registrar to the Royal Hospital, Sheffield, and Derbyshire Royal Infirmary. He came under the influence of Douglas Robertson in Sheffield and acquired considerable experience in vascular surgery. In 1969 he was appointed consultant surgeon to the Royal Hospital, Chesterfield, and rapidly acquired a good reputation as an able surgeon with an interest in teaching junior staff. He served as college tutor and helped many young surgeons to pass the FRCS. In addition to his professional ability he was an accomplished pianist with a particular interest in classical music. He was also a skilled wood turner and a passionate ornithologist. Tragically at the height of his career he developed a widespread malignancy and died on 4 June 1983, aged 49. He is survived by his wife Margaret and two children.