Roger Hole was a consultant urologist for the Tees Health Authority, northeast England. He was born on 9 May 1932 in Brentford, Middlesex, the son of Ernest Roland Hole, an engineer, and Ruby Violet Hole née Felshof. He studied at Cambridge and the Middlesex Hospital. He obtained his fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 1964 and was elected as a member of the British Association of Urological Surgeons in March 1966. He was appointed as a consultant by the Tees Health Authority in 1981. Initially, this meant the arduous task of delivering urological services to six separate hospitals, but these gradually coalesced into a single unit at South Cleveland Hospital, where Roger became the senior of a two-person team. The workload was still onerous, with each of the two urologists working alternate weeks on-call for a population of half a million. Cases on the operating list ranged from radical cystectomy to orchidopexy. In the outpatient clinic, anything from retroperitoneal fibrosis to stress incontinence might present. Additionally, Middlesbrough was one of two UK hot spots for bladder cancer due to the location nearby of an ICI beta naphthylamine plant. Roger never complained. He was a conservative surgeon, and any new technique had to be proved before he would adopt it. As a result, he continued to carry out punch prostatectomies until his retirement, one of very few surgeons to do so. He was in good company as this technique remained the operation of choice at the prestigious urology department at Graz, Austria and at the Mayo Clinic, President Reagan having undergoing removal of his prostate using this procedure. Roger was held in great respect and affection by the ward staff, who quickly learned to interpret his characteristic mannerisms on ward rounds: jingling the change in the right trouser pocket meant a minor concern, whereas jingling of coins combined with head scratching meant a more serious worry. In 1988 senior registrars on the Newcastle rotation went to Middlesbrough for the first time. It says much for the ethos and teaching there that this soon became one of the most popular placements on a sought-after rotation. Roger’s retirement was premature. He could not support the decision for South Cleveland Hospital to apply for trust status as he felt this would be prejudicial to patient care. Accordingly, after long and careful consideration, he resigned his post in 1992, to the great sadness of his medical and nursing team. However, retirement did bring some advantages as Roger was able to indulge his passions for literature and gardening. He was happiest labouring in his extensive garden with his beloved wife, Katey. Roger was a devoted family man, the father of two daughters. Holidays were often spent with his brother in Finland. Roger died on 10 October 2021 at the age of 89. He was a gentle, thoughtful and highly principled urologist with a deep regard for the wellbeing of his patients.