Personal charm and a laid back imperturbability, allied to unquestionable surgical competence enabled David Bain to build a busy and well-respected practice in Windsor and Eton, including both the Castle and the College. He was born in London on 30 June 1915, the son of a consultant civil engineer, also David, and his wife Elsey, neé Wilson. He was educated at St Paul's School and at St Mary's Hospital, where he qualified in 1940. After junior posts at his teaching hospital he joined the Navy and saw service in both the Atlantic and Pacific. He returned to St Mary's, working his way up to senior registrar. He took shorter appointments at the Bolingbroke, at St Paul's Hospital for Urinary Diseases and at the Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street. He gained his consultant post at Windsor in 1954 as a general surgeon with some paediatric surgical responsibilities. His time in the Navy had given him a lasting fascination with the history of that service and he had a fine collection of Nelson memorabilia, but he also had a dilettante interest in many subjects, including gardening and classic cars. In 1954 he married Julia Wanack, by whom he had three sons, Nicholas, Christopher and Philip, and a daughter, Priscilla. He died on 14 May 1997 survived by his wife, children and grandchildren, Charlie, Miranda, Finlay, Hamish, Angus, Flora, Benjamin and Eliza.