Trevor Llewellyn Bowen was born at Newport, Monmouthshire, on 12 March 1932 and attended schools in Wales before entering King's College, London, and King's College Hospital Medical School. After graduating in 1955 he undertook general resident appointments before working in the orthopaedic department at King's College Hospital. His general surgical training was at St Mary Abbot's Hospital. He took the FRCS in 1963 before continuing his orthopaedic training as a registrar and senior registrar at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, where he completed his studies with a temporary appointment as lecturer to the Institute of Orthopaedics. He was first assistant to Sir Herbert Seddon and registrar to Jackson Burrows. He did his national service as a Flight Lieutenant in the medical branch of the Royal Air Force, and during this time continued his interest in orthopaedics with an appointment in Norfolk as clinical assistant. In 1969 he was appointed consultant orthopaedic surgeon to St James's Hospital, Balham, and Queen Mary's Hospital for Children, Carshalton, and rapidly established a reputation for hand surgery in children and adults. Shortly before his death he was appointed honorary consultant at the Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street, where he was responsible for a hand clinic. He was also associated with the establishment and organization of the St George's and South-West Thames regional orthopaedic training scheme. With an interest in engineering he took part in establishing a medical engineering research unit at Carshalton, working extremely hard before his ambition was fulfilled with the opening of the unit in 1973. As a consultant Bowen continued and extended his interest in heraldry, particularly that connected with medical history and institutions. He gave many illustrated talks on this subject, always delivered in humorous and erudite style. Until his last few hours he was writing a book which probably would have become the classic work on medical heraldry. During the six months of his terminal illness he displayed a basic fortitude, tempered by his natural good humour, which must remain an example to all his friends and colleagues. His early death left a large gap in the ranks of orthopaedic surgeons with special interest in children and medical engineering. He married Patricia Wilks in 1955 and they had two sons and one daughter. He died on 2 July 1974, aged 42.