David Alexander Ager was a consultant maxillofacial surgeon for the Royal Army Dental Corps. He was born on 30 June 1925 in Sudbury, Essex. His mother’s maiden name was Sillens. He studied medicine at Guy’s Hospital Medical School and qualified as a doctor with the conjoint examination in 1948. After house appointments, he carried out his National Service in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve at Harwich. He was briefly a general practitioner, and then became a dental student, qualifying in 1957. In 1962 he joined the Royal Army Dental Corps, eventually becoming a colonel. His postings included Cyprus, Hong Kong, Germany and Northern Ireland. He gained his FDSRCS in 1969 and became a consultant in 1977. Outside his work, he was interested in music. In 1951 he married Hazel Margaret Amess. They had three children and three grandchildren. Ager died on 5 April 2002 from a raptured aortic aneurysm. He was 76.