Denis Westgarth Lacey was born on 14 March 1914. He was educated at the Perse School, Cambridge, and St Edward's School, Oxford, before proceeding to the Middlesex Hospital Medical School where he qualified in 1937. He joined the RAMC in 1939, was taken prisoner at the evacuation of Dunkirk and remained a prisoner of war until 1945. During his prolonged captivity he was able to render outstanding surgical aid not only to his own men but to those of the enemy. He then returned to the Middlesex Hospital where he held various junior appointments before being appointed consultant surgeon to Bedford General Hospital in 1951. On his retirement he had been senior surgeon for 15 years. A good all round general surgeon, one of his interests was thyroid surgery and he had a particular interest in gastrointestinal surgery especially in conservative treatment of inflammatory disease of the intestine. He once described himself as "an operating physician". He was an excellent diagnostician and his opinion was widely sought and much respected. He was a good listener and always kind to patients but vigorously demanded his own very high standard from nurses, house surgeons and other colleagues. Both before and after his retirement he was very much a family man. His hobbies were foreign travel, sailing and especially gardening at which he excelled, rearing many beautiful and exotic flowers and trees. He died suddenly at his home in Pavenham on 26 April 1985 and was survived by his wife, Joy, and two sons, one of whom is a doctor in general practice.