Bernard George Albert Lilwall was born at Ramsgate on 21 November 1914, the eldest son of John Edward Lilwall, a company director and Georgina, née Bomford. He was educated at Chatham Grammar School, Ramsgate, Belmont Preparatory School, Mill Hill, and Mill Hill School before studying at Guy's Hospital Medical School. He qualified in 1937 and after house appointments at Guy's Hospital served as ship's doctor on a voyage to Australia before joining the RAMC at the outbreak of war. He gained the FRCS in 1941 and in 1943 married Sandy Roberts shortly before being posted to the Far East as Officer Commanding 12th Indian Mobile Surgical Unit. In 1944 he was under siege on the southern front in the Arakan region of Burma in what was known as the "Admin Box" because of the back-up role of many of its occupants and, surrounded by the Japanese, operated on 252 wounded soldiers. Although eventually taken prisoner he managed to escape from the tent where he was held and crawled back to British lines. In another attack he seized a two-inch mortar and firing from the hip managed to beat off Japanese attackers, gaining a Bar to his DSO in the field. From August 1945 to May 1946 he was Lieutenant-Colonel commanding the surgical division of 451 British General Hospital in Malaya. Returning to Guy's Hospital after the war he was senior registrar to Sir Heneage Ogilvie, Nils Eckhoff and Sir Hedley Atkins from 1946 to 1949 when he was appointed consultant surgeon to the Canterbury and Thanet Hospital Group. As a surgeon his manner was reserved but despite this he inspired great confidence in his patients. He was an able administrator serving on the Isle of Thanet Hospital Management Committee and the group medical committee. While still on the surgical staff he suffered a succession of strokes and had to retire early in 1976, but was still able to pursue his hobbies of travelling and golf as well as gardening and growing orchids. He moved to Suffolk in 1984 and died on 11 July 1987. He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter, who is a nurse.