Born at Springfield House, Hall Lane, Bradford on 28 February 1893, the eldest child of Samuel Lodge, OBE, MD, who survived him, dying on 19 March 1934, and Winifred Durham Garbutt his wife. His father and grandfather had practised in Bradford and his mother was the daughter of a medical man. Samuel Durham Lodge was educated at Bradford School, at Epsom, at the Leeds Medical School, and at the London Hospital. He went to Aldershot for military training as soon as he was qualified in 1915, and received a commission in the RAMC (special reserve) on 19 January 1916. He was attached to the Indian Expeditionary Force and served with the 7th Gloucester Regiment first at Basra, afterwards in Persia and the Caucasus. Being demobilized in 1919 he returned to Leeds, was appointed demonstrator of anatomy, served as house surgeon to J F Dobson, and became resident ophthalmic officer to the Leeds General Infirmary. He was elected ophthalmic surgeon to the infirmary in 1920, upon the resignation of A L Whitehead, and was subsequently consulting ophthalmic surgeon. He married Margaret Ianthe Cresswell on 27 July 1925, who survived him with one daughter. He died after a long illness on 5 December 1933. Lodge, at the time of his death, had made himself a considerable reputation as an ophthalmic surgeon. He was an excellent speaker, rather caustic at times; a good sportsman, he hunted with the York and Ainsty hounds and played hockey for the University of Leeds and for Bradford.