Robert Francis Norman Duke was born in London in 1925, the son of Sir Robert Duke, and was educated at Marlborough College. In 1943, he joined the Royal Artillery, serving in India until 1947. He was commissioned in 1944, rising to the rank of Captain. After the war he read medicine at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, and graduated in 1953. He took his FRCS in 1961 and subsequently trained in orthopaedics in Exeter and Bristol. In 1964 he was appointed consultant orthopaedic surgeon to Warwick General Hospital, Stratford-on-Avon Hospital and the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, Birmingham. As a surgeon he was noted as a hard-working and quick operator, and could perform a Ring total hip replacement in 30 minutes. He devoted nearly all his time and energy to the NHS and rarely had private patients. He published a number of articles on orthopaedic surgery and was also an excellent teacher and a constant source of encouragement to his junior staff. Although quiet and reserved, he held definite opinions and strong convictions. He was a sincere Christian and a generous hospitable host, even when he fell seriously ill. One of his hobbies was skiing. He retired prematurely in 1985 and died on 29 September 1988 of cancer of the colon. He is survived by his wife, Janet, and their three daughters, Diana, Jacqueline and Rosalind, one of whom is a physiotherapist.