Allen Stanley Baker was a surgeon specialising in orthopaedics and traumatology at Bedford General Hospital. Born on 1 February 1950 in Hertford County Hospital, he was educated at St Andrew’s Preparatory School in Pangbourne, Berkshire before attending the King’s School in Worcester. He was the son of Harold Stanley and his wife Dorothy Marion née Paxton. Both his father and maternal grandfather were colonels in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. He studied medicine at the University of Leeds graduating MB ChB in 1974 and trained as a house physician to George Paul McNicol in the department of medicine at Leeds General Hospital. He began his career in surgery as house surgeon to Geoff Giles at St James’ Hospital, Leeds and continued by assisting Stuart Charles Kennedy at the East Birmingham Hospital. In 1977 he married Penny Thompson whose father was an executive director of Littlewoods. Rowing was his favourite sport. When he died at the age of 65 on 25 January 2016, after a long battle with multiple sclerosis, he was survived by Penny, their children Thomas, Edward and Olivia and two grandchildren Evie and Jack.