David Chapman was a consultant ENT surgeon in Sheffield. Although his family were Londoners, he was born in Matlock, Derbyshire, where his mother Daisy Chapman, a Barnardo’s nurse, had been evacuated on account of the wartime air raids. His father was Bob Chapman, a building worker. They later returned to the East End of London, before moving to Arkesden, a small village near Saffron Walden, Essex. Coming from a family with very little material advantage, he emphasised the advantages he did have – access to a good public library, free state education at Newport Free Grammar School and access to university; he qualified in medicine at Leeds in 1967. It was while they were students that he met and married Jane Burrell before starting their house jobs. His early exposure to ENT surgery was in York with Charles Smith. While working as an anatomy demonstrator he co-wrote *Anatomy and physiology: a self-instructional course* in multiple choice format (Edinburgh, Churchill Livingstone, 1977). A series of posts in general surgery, orthopaedics, and neurosurgery led to the FRCS in general surgery in 1974. His training in ENT surgery was initially in Nottingham and after gaining the FRCS in otolaryngology in Edinburgh in 1976, he completed his training as a senior registrar on the Oxford/Reading rotation. David was appointed as a consultant ENT surgeon in Sheffield in 1981 with both a paediatric practice at Sheffield Children’s Hospital and an adult practice, initially at the Northern General, but which later transferred to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital. While he carried out all aspects of ENT surgery, he was an extremely skilled ear surgeon. He undertook cochlear implant surgery in its early days, and skull base surgery for the removal of vestibular schwannomas. Both procedures require the highest level of expertise and he performed them with signal success, which he audited meticulously. It was a sadness to him that national reorganisation of the cochlear implant programme meant that it was not possible to continue with the surgery in Sheffield. He greatly enjoyed teaching and instigated a sub-regional study day for trainees and consultants, an advanced aural care course for nurses and general practitioners and was principal lecturer in the university department of speech science. He took on the onerous task of clinical director at a difficult time, a role which he fulfilled with courtesy, tact, patience and organisational skill. David was keenly interested in politics as a vigorous member of the Liberal Democrats. He and Jane were active and generous supporters of Music in the Round, a highly regarded Sheffield-based chamber music ensemble. Intensely practical from his youth, he was a skilful craftsman, from making model wooden boats to tree houses, and he and Jane greatly enjoyed hill walking. A kind, erudite and gentle man, David Chapman died on 14 February 2022, peacefully at home with his family. He was survived by his wife, Jane, a son Ian who is in general practice in Suffolk, a daughter Sarah in Sheffield, and four grandchildren.