Born 19 February 1879, the eldest son of Edward John Smith, banker, of Bridlington, Yorkshire, and Mary Hewgill, daughter of Dr Hewgill of Repton. He was educated at Pocklington, at the Yorkshire College, Leeds, and at the London Hospital, where he served as house surgeon, after winning scholarships in anatomy and biology and the minor-surgery prize. As house surgeon at the Poplar Hospital he worked in the ear, nose, and throat department. Smith went to South Africa, where he was for three years medical officer at Pretoria Hospital. He then returned home, took the Fellowship in 1909, and settled in practice at Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, in partnership with J E S Passmore, MRCS, and E T Lanyon, FRCS. He became in due course senior partner, with Drs G W Johnson, C P Moxon, and C W Pearson. He served as medical officer to Gainsborough Rural District Council, and surgeon to the Gainsborough Dispensary, which became in 1913, largely through his influence, the John Coupland Hospital. During the war of 1914-18 he served as captain, RAMC(T), at the 4th Northern General Hospital at Lincoln and in France. He was president of the Midland branch of the British Medical Association in 1921, chairman of the Lincoln division 1931-32, president of the Lincoln branch 1933-34, and served on the Representative Body 1928-39. Willoughby Smith married in 1904 Cassandra Elizabeth, daughter of Sir John Hudson. He died suddenly in his surgery on 9 July 1948, aged 69, survived by his widow and their only daughter. He had lived at The Cedars and practised at St Clements, 9 Carson Road, Gainsborough. His recreations were botany and gardening. Publications: Actinomycosis, with report of a case. *Transv med J* 1907-08, 3, 23. Malaria, with R G Abercrombie. *Ibid* 1906-07, 2, 251. Case of linseed poisoning. *Brit med J* 1910, 2, 1260.