Born on 8 May 1877, the son of Harry and Ellen Nicholls, he received his medical training at the Middlesex Hospital. After qualifying he held the post of house physician at the Middlesex followed by that of house surgeon at the Brighton and Hove Hospital. In 1901 he joined the Navy Medical Service and was present during the earthquake at Messina in 1907, being decorated for his services. He was promoted Staff Surgeon in 1909 and Fleet Surgeon in 1915. He served throughout the war of 1914-18, and on 22 September 1914 was serving in HMS *Cressy* when she was torpedoed. He transferred his casualties first to the *Hogue* only to suffer the same fate, and finally to the Aboukir which was also in her turn torpedoed. In 1926 he was promoted Surgeon Captain, and from 1927 to 1929 was Principal Medical Officer of HMS *Victory*, RN Barracks, Portsmouth, and from 1929 to 1932 was Senior Medical Officer of the medical division at the RN Hospital, Haslar. In 1932 he was promoted to Surgeon Rear-Admiral and appointed in charge of the RN Hospital, Bighi, Malta, to be followed in 1937 by promotion to Surgeon Vice-Admiral as Medical Director-General of the Navy, retiring in 1941 but being re-employed in charge of the RN Auxiliary Hospital at Kilmacolm until 1946. From 1935 to 1952 he was an Honorary Physician to the King, and in 1937 he was made a Commander of the Order of St John. Tall, handsome and a good athlete, having played tennis for the Royal Navy in 1917, he was a capable administrator with sound clinical sense and a calm imperturbable manner. He married in 1905 Hilda Boys Curry, who survived him and by whom he had two daughters. He died on 1 March 1959 in the RN Hospital, Haslar aged 81.