John Robert Blackburne, known as 'Robin', was a consultant surgeon at Hull Royal Infirmary. He was born on 27 August 1909, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where his father, John Devereux Blackburne, was a banker. His mother was Francisca, née Lopez. Robin was sent home to school, at Berkhamstead, from which he went to St Bartholomew's to study medicine. While he was there he also won the singles tennis championship. After junior posts he became a general surgeon, doing everything except ophthalmology. Two days before the outbreak of the second world war he was called up to serve in the RAMC, joining the British Expeditionary Force in France. He was evacuated from the beaches at Dunkirk, and served subsequently in command of a casualty clearing station and later a surgical division in West Africa. He returned to Europe in time for D-day, and treated and evacuated casualties from the beaches at Arromanche. He was then posted to India and was later sent with a hospital ship to Rangoon for the invasion of Burma, subsequently serving in Burma, Singapore and the Dutch East Indies, reaching the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. In 1945 the senior surgeon at Hull Royal Infirmary retired, and although Robin was out in Sumatra at the time dealing with the repatriation of prisoners of war and internees, the retiring surgeon applied for the vacancy in his name. He was appointed consultant surgeon at Hull Royal Infirmary, Westwood Hospital, Beverley, and the Victoria Children's Hospital. He also served on the court and council of Hull University. In 1937 he married Aase Trier, a Norwegian. They had two daughters and two sons, one of whom, John Stephen Blackburne, is a Fellow of this College. In retirement Robin took up silversmithing. He died on 16 July 2001, just a week after his wife - they had been married for 64 years.