William Anthony Crabbe, the only son of John Gregory Crabbe, a company secretary, and of Elizabeth, (née Hogg), was born at Birtley, Co Durham, on 22 December 1927. After education at Corby Hall, Sunderland, and Douai School, Berkshire, he entered the University of Durham Medical School and graduated in 1951. Following resident appointments at the Royal Infirmary, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, he did National Service in the RAMC, and then served in the Territorial Army, 44 Parachute Field Ambulance, until 1963, attaining the rank of Major. Following his national service he gained much general surgical experience at Newcastle and in the Isle of Man. He was next appointed as orthopaedic registrar at the Central Middlesex Hospital, and then senior registrar at Guy's before becoming consultant orthopaedic surgeon there from 1964 to 1975. Amongst his chiefs he records especial indebtedness to J K Stanger, E Vernon, J G Bonnin, T T Stamm, J S Batchelor, P G Epps and O J Vaughan Jackson. Both before and after his appointment as a consultant he wrote many papers on orthopaedics, particularly on primary tumours of bone, the subject of his MD thesis. He was an excellent teacher and wrote two student textbooks, *Orthopaedics for the undergraduate* (1968) and *Fractures for the undergraduate* (1970). But, after eleven years at Guy's Hospital, he resigned his appointment as he felt the urge to develop new pastures overseas. He then established an orthopaedic service at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Despite the natural rivalry and antagonisms there between doctors of many nationalities, his tact, good humour and statesmanship were reported to have contributed greatly to the harmonious relationships amongst the staff. Unfortunately, slowly deteriorating health compelled his return to England in 1979 when he retired to north Devon and continued to enjoy the company of his friends. His obituarist in the *British Medical Journal* remarks that, "few surgeons are heroes to their anaesthetists, yet Bill was friends with all of his", and further states that he was a rapid and efficient operator with sound clinical judgement and a puckish sense of humour. His wife, Ann E Harrison, herself medically qualified, had been a student contemporary of his and there were three generations of general practitioners in her family. They had married in 1952 and had one daughter, Elizabeth. When he died on 17 May 1986, after a long illness valiantly borne, he was survived by his wife and daughter.