Roger Croton was born on 2 April 1948 in Colne, Lancashire. After early education at St Joseph's College, Trent Vale, he studied medicine at Sheffield University and held junior posts in Sheffield, Derby and Liverpool before being appointed consultant surgeon to Warrington District General Hospital in 1985. Although he remained a general surgeon with a wide range of interests he was particularly proud of having developed a modern urological service. A keen Territorial, he reached the rank of lieutenant colonel and became well known for his work with mobile field hospitals. He died on 25 August 1991 after a short illness, survived by his wife Lindsay, a fellow student in Sheffield, and three daughters, Elizabeth, Josephine and Helen.