Born on 8 July 1898 at Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. Educated at the Prince Alfred College, Adelaide, and at Adelaide University. The first world war interrupted his studies, and he joined the Royal Flying Corps and flew in France as a pilot on operations. When he was demobilized he returned to Australia and to Adelaide University. He was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship and went up to Christ Church, Oxford. At Oxford he gained an honours degree in physiology and proceed to the London Hospital where he qualified BM BCh in 1925. He took the Conjoint Diploma in 1928 and the Final Fellowship in 1929. He held various resident appointments at the London Hospital and became surgical first assistant and registrar to Russell Howard and Neligan. During the second world war he worked at the Orsett Hospital in Essex. He was appointed to the Poplar and other hospitals in the London area, but at the inception of the National Health Service some of these hospitals were reorganized, and in 1950 he was appointed consultant surgeon to the Burnley and District group of hospitals. He was a sound and dextrous surgeon, an able diagnostician, and in his later years was particularly interested in thyroid surgery. He was interested in sports and was a good golfer. After retiring from his hospital at the age of 65 he joined a practice at Nelson and had a few years in busy general practice in which he very soon made his mark. Howard was married, and he was survived by his wife Thelma and a son and daughter.