Francis Arthur d'Abreu, always known as Frank, was born in Handsworth, Staffordshire, on 1 October 1904, the second son of Dr John d'Abreu, a medical practitioner, and Teresa Noonan. He came from a large family of twelve children; his younger brother, Professor A d'Abreu FRCS, was also a surgeon. He was educated at St Philip's Grammar School, Birmingham, then at Stonyhurst, where he was head of school and captain of both rugby and cricket. From here he proceeded to Birmingham University Medical School, where he won the inter-varsity boxing championship at welterweight. He qualified in 1929, and his early appointments were as house surgeon and resident surgical officer to the Birmingham General Hospital and later the Queen's Hospital. In 1934 he became the cancer registrar to St Bartholomew's Hospital and as such was the first non-Bart's man to hold a junior surgical post there. He served on the RAMC supplementary reserve, and was called up at the outbreak of war, serving until 1945, having been promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel in 1942. In 1946 he was appointed consultant general surgeon to Westminster Hospital, where he remained until 1969, and which was to become the centre of his professional life. From 1950 he was honorary surgeon to the hospital of St John and St Elizabeth in London, an independent charitable hospital run by the Sisters of Mercy and associated with the Military Order of Malta. Bernard Ward and G T Mullally were his main surgical mentors. As a surgeon he possessed a sure clinical judgement together with a precise and swift operative technique, which gained him the reputation of having 'green fingers'. His particular interests were diseases of the chest and oesophageal cancer. He was a popular teacher and examiner to the universities of Cambridge and London, and to the Society of Apothecaries. He was Chairman and member of the Court of Examiners of the College. He was Director of the Clerical and Medical Assurance Society, a member of the Institute of Sports Medicine and of the Medical Appeals Tribunal. Throughout his life he remained an active sportsman, playing rugby until he was over sixty, and he held a record of having never been defeated by a first assistant at squash. He retained a great love of horse racing and was honoured by his appointment as surgeon to the Jockey Club. In 1977 he was made a Knight of Malta in recognition of his services to the Order and Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth. In 1945 he married Margaret Ann Bowes-Lyon, grand-daughter of the 13th Earl of Strathmore and cousin to HM the Queen Mother. They had one son and two daughters, one of whom predeceased him. He died on 16 November 1995, survived by his wife and two children.