Bruce Pender was born in Bombay on 9 September 1921, the son of George T Pender, general manager for the British American Tobacco Company. He was educated at Mount House Preparatory School and Marlborough College before entering St Thomas's Hospital Medical School. After qualifying in 1944 he served in the Royal Army Medical Corps from 1944 to 1947, initially as Captain and acting Major attached to the Indian Parachute Division and later as regimental medical officer to the Artists' Rifles. After demobilisation he was surgical registrar at St Thomas's Hospital working with T W Mimpriss, R H Boggon and R W Nevin and after passing the FRCS in 1948 he was senior registrar at St George's Hospital under Sir Ralph Marnham and V H Riddell. He contributed many papers to surgical journals and in 1956 wrote a textbook entitled *The diagnosis and management of urological cases*. He was appointed consultant surgeon to Chelmsford Health Authority and served as surgical tutor from 1964 to 1970, later becoming regional adviser for North East Thames Regional Health Authority. He was consultant member of the district management team and served as University representative on Mid-Essex Health Authority. He married Jean Macklin in 1952 and they had a son, Charles Christopher. His outside interests were wide and in early life he played hockey with considerable ability, being in the England trials in 1943 and in the Army trials in 1947. Later in life he played tennis and golf and participated in water-skiing; he was also a prominent Freemason attaining the rank of Past Grand Steward. He retired from hospital practice in 1986 and died on 9 June 1989.