Charles Philip Nicholas, 'Nick' to his friends, was born in Birmingham on 9 November 1913. His father was a dental surgeon. His maternal great uncle Charles Warden was an FRCS and founder of the Cripples' Hospital, Broad Street, Birmingham. He was educated at Bromsgrove School and the University of Birmingham and graduated MB ChB 1937 and also took the MRCS and LRCP London the same year. He joined the RNVR before the war and served in HMS *Duke of York*. He obtained the FRCS in 1941 whilst serving and took part in the landing in Normandy on D-day. He was awarded the Volunteer Reserve Decoration and attained the rank of Surgeon-Lieutenant-Commander. He was also surgical specialist at the Royal Naval Hospital, Colombo. After the war he was senior registrar at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, and was appointed assistant director of the surgical department at Guy's Hospital, serving under Sir Heneage Ogilvie and Sir Hedley Atkins. He also was consultant to the Evelina Hospital for Children. He was appointed consulting surgeon at Worcester Royal Infirmary in 1958 in which year he graduated ChM Birmingham. At Worcester he developed a genitourinary surgical service with a special interest in children. He won the scientific prize at the annual meeting of the British Association of Urological Surgeons for a cystophotographic demonstration of bladder tumours. He was appointed clinical tutor for the FRCS to the South Worcestershire Hospitals in 1972. He was intensely interested in teaching young postgraduates and general practitioners and devoted much time to the integration of rotational resident posts. His love of the sea continued after the war and he enjoyed sailing small ships and especially the challenge of inclement weather. He also was a keen horseman and had his own horse 'John Gilpin'. In 1943 he married Margaret D Breen who was a sister in QARNNS(R), they had three daughters and one son who was a medical student at Guy's. He died on 1 March 1978, aged 64 years, after a long illness.