Ernest (Ernie) Kirwan was a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at University College Hospital, London and the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital. He was born in Calcutta, India on 7 June 1929. His father, Ernest William O’Gorman Kirwan, born in Dublin, was a professor of ophthalmology at the Medical College, Calcutta, and a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. Ernest’s mother was Mary Kirwan née Therkelsen, originally from Portland, Oregon, and a graduate of Stanford University. Ernest spent his first six years in India, before moving to London in 1935. In 1939, he went to the United States with his mother and older brother Peter and settled in Portland. The boys briefly attended a school in Canada, in Victoria, British Columbia, in 1943 but returned to the UK in 1944. Once settled in England, Ernest, then 15, attended Ampleforth College. He went on to gain a place at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge to read medicine and carried out his clinical studies at Middlesex Hospital Medical School. He qualified in 1953. He spent two years with the Royal Army Medical Corps for his National Service, reaching the rank of captain. On leaving the Army, he trained as a surgeon. His first training post was in Manchester, and he later worked in London. He gained his fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 1960 and also became a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. At the age of 37, Ernest became a consultant orthopaedic consultant surgeon at University College Hospital and the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital. During his consulting career Ernest was responsible for trauma and general orthopaedics at University College Hospital; at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital he was in charge of a clinic for lumbar spinal problems. He was also a surgeon at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases and a civilian consultant adviser in orthopaedic surgery to the RAF and Royal Navy. He trained more than 80 registrars, and his teaching took him abroad on many occasions. He spent a lot of time in the Middle East, where he helped set up training programmes in Jordan and Iraq. He was on the executive committee of the British Orthopaedic Association and was president of the Combined Services Orthopaedic Society. Ernest retired in 2001 after 48 years of service. During his career, his surgical skill and technique was inspiring and recognised by many, including a king, members of royal families, three prime ministers, a dictator, Hollywood greats, musicians, cabinet ministers, captains of industry and sporting legends, to name but a few. In 1962 he married Marie Coakley, who was also a doctor. They had four children – Robert, Sarah, Edward and Patrick. He died on 12 June 2024 at the age of 95. He was survived by Marie, his children and 10 grandchildren.