Born on 25 July 1873 the second child and only son of Richard Richards, yeoman farmer, and his wife Jennet Rees, he was educated at Weston School, Bath and Thistleton House School, Mumbles near Swansea, and received his medical training at St Bartholomew's. He qualified in 1897 and entered the mental service of the Middlesex County Council, serving until 1906 as assistant medical officer at the County Asylum, Tooting. He then decided to take up surgery, passed the Fellowship, held clinical assistantships during 1907 at St Luke's Hospital and at the Royal London Ophthalmic Hospital, and settled in practice at Port Talbot, South Wales, where he had a busy and useful career for the rest of his life, especially as a surgical consultant for industrial insurance. During the war of 1914-18 he served in the RAMC with the rank of Major, was attached to a field ambulance at Gallipoli in 1915, and later was a surgical specialist in the campaign in Palestine. At Port Talbot in later years Richards took an active share in many local interests, especially those connected with the Church, but he always refused to hold any public office. He died suddenly at his home, Brynhyfryd, Aberavon, Port Talbot on New Year's Day 1953 aged 79; he never married. Richards directed that certain of his books should be presented to the College Library.