William Keith Douglas was a cardiothoracic surgeon at Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester. He was born in Manchester on 30 March 1917, the son of William Robert Douglas, a general surgeon who gained the FRCS in 1910, and Margaret Douglas née Kirkbride, a singer. He was educated at Leas School, Hoylake and Uppingham School. He went on to Emmanuel College, Cambridge to study natural sciences and then Manchester University Medical School for his clinical studies. He qualified in 1943 and carried out house surgeon appointments. In July 1943, he joined the RAMC as a lieutenant. He was initially attached to a field dressing station but was transferred to the 62nd Anti Tank Regiment. He was in Normandy two days after D-Day. He later joined the Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry and while in Germany looked after 10,000 displaced persons located in camps over an area of 70 square miles. In August 1945, he was in Egypt and Palestine. He was demobilised in October 1946 as a major. From 1947 to 1948 he was an assistant resident surgical officer at Manchester Royal Infirmary. From 1948, he held several senior house officer posts at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary. In 1952, he was appointed as a resident surgical officer at Manchester Royal Infirmary, becoming a senior surgical registrar a year later and, from 1956 to 1959, a senior thoracic registrar. In 1959, he was appointed as a consultant cardiothoracic surgeon to the Manchester Regional Hospital Board attached to Park Hospital, Davyhulme, Baguley Hospital, Manchester and, from 1974, Wythenshawe Hospital. He retired in March 1982. At Manchester Royal Infirmary he took part in research designed to enable the unit to carry out open heart surgery. While at Wythenshawe he helped establish a cardiac surgical unit. As well as cardiac surgery, he also carried out pulmonary and oesophagreal surgery and had outpatient clinics at various hospitals in the Manchester, Lancashire and Cheshire area. In his early life, he was interested in rugby. Up until his retirement he played golf. After retiring he enjoyed a happy social life and gardening with his wife, Pamela Stewart née Jones, a secretary whom he had married in 1949. They had no children.