William Ashby was born in Prenton, Birkenhead, on 17 May 1925, the son of Ernest William Ashby, a consultant electrical engineer and his wife Dorothy Margaret (née Bennett). He went to school at Quarry Bank High School in Liverpool and graduated in medicine at the University of Liverpool in 1948. Thereafter he was a demonstrator of anatomy in Sheffield before returning to Liverpool for his surgical training. He was influenced by Professor Charles Wells and JB Oldham and became a senior registrar at Liverpool Royal Infirmary before taking a year away as research fellow at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. On his return he was appointed consultant surgeon at Clatterbridge Hospital and continued his special interest in gastroenterology. His thesis on autotransplantation of the small bowel was accepted for a degree as a master of surgery at the University of Liverpool. William Ashby served in the Royal Army Medical Corps and later as a keen member of the Territorial Army where he reached the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. He was an enthusiastic motor-cyclist in his youth and a skilled angler. He also enjoyed skiing. In 1962 he married Iona Jones and they had one son. Sadly he had to retire early owing to a prolonged, distressing illness which he bore with great fortitude. He died on 3 June 1989 survived by his wife and son.