Desmond Cowan was an orthopaedic surgeon and chief of staff of East Kootenay Regional Hospital in Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada. He was born in Rochford, Essex on 18 June 1924, the son of Will Cowan and Tommy Cowan née Greer, the middle child of three siblings. He studied medicine and qualified in 1947. From 1948 to 1963 he served in the Royal Army Medical Corps. In 1955 he gained his FRCS and in 1963 was awarded an OBE, as a lieutenant colonel. In 1969 he immigrated to British Columbia, Canada. He was an orthopaedic surgeon in Cranbrook from 1973 to 1991, then chief of staff at East Kootenay Regional Hospital for another five years. Before his retirement he worked for five more years as a consultant for the Workers’ Compensation Board. He developed a love of sports during his childhood and enjoyed boxing, tennis, squash, golf, rowing, curling and particularly sailing. He played the clarinet, ukulele, accordion, piano, chanter and guitar, and also sang. Cowan died on 22 September 2018 at the age of 94. He was survived by his wife Joy (née Maville), a former nurse, his children Neil, Chris, Tim and Sally, stepchildren George, Rick, Lorena and Lisa, seven grandchildren, seven step-grandchildren and great grandchildren.