Born 21 June 1859 at Canonbury, the third son of Edward Wilmhurst Tait, MRCS, LSA, and Miriam Sabine, his wife. His father was in general practice in Canonbury and was surgeon to the Holloway and North Islington Infirmary. H B Tait was educated at Sherborne School from summer term 1875 until 1876. He then went to St Bartholomew's Hospital where he was house surgeon to John Langton. He acted as clinical assistant at the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children, and then settled in general practice at Hornsey Lane, where he worked until 1926 when he removed to Worthing, where he remained during 1926-29. Failing health made him return to London and subsequently took him to live with his son at Handcross in Sussex, where he died on 7 June 1935. He married on 10 May 1887 Beatrice Brend Batten, who died before him leaving two sons and two daughters.