John Gwithian Craddock received his education at Magdalene College, Cambridge, and at St Mary's Hospital Medical School. After service in the RNVR as a Surgeon Lieutenant-Commander he spent the earlier years of his career in Africa, first at Dar-es-Salaam, and from 1956 to 1962 as surgical specialist with the government of Northern Nigeria at Kaduna. Returning to the United Kingdom he went into general practice in Blandford Forum and continued as a member of a partnership until his retirement in 1984. During this time he was an examiner for the Ministry of Social Security. He died at Blandford on 26 May 1990, aged 75 years.