Arthur Bates was a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist in Northampton. Born on 10 December 1923 he was the son of Arthur Bates, a master engineer, and his wife Florence May née Potter. After studying medicine at Cambridge University he was appointed house surgeon at St Bartholomew’s Hospital and then resident surgical officer at the Birmingham Maternity Hospital. He passed the fellowship of the college in 1960 and the fellowship of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in 1971. Moving to Northampton he became consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist to the Northampton and Kettering area group of hospitals. He married Margaret Mavis Ives who was also medically qualified. When he retired he moved to Forres, a town in Scotland 25 miles northeast of Inverness, and he died there on 13 April 2016 aged 92. He was survived by his second wife Margaret Anne née Young who was a health visitor.