Franklin Adin (Sam) Simmonds was born in 1911 and educated at Sherborne where he captained the school team at cricket and rugby. He then went to Pembroke College, Cambridge, for pre-clinical studies, where he acquired a golf blue before going to St Thomas's Hospital, qualifying in 1935. After early house appointments he became chief assistant to the orthopaedic department under Rowley Bristow and passed the FRCS in 1939. Bristow was the first specialist orthopaedic surgeon to be appointed to St Thomas's and he influenced Simmonds' thinking and piloted his early career. During the war years Bristow was in charge of orthopaedic services in the Royal Army Medical Corps and Sam Simmonds served under him as Lieutenant-Colonel in command of base hospitals in North Africa, Sicily, North-West Europe and the Far East. During this time he acquired immense experience in the surgery of trauma. After demobilisation he took charge of the newly upgraded orthopaedic department at Bristol Hospital at Pyrford and, together with Alan Apley, built up the department's fine reputation. In 1951 he joined the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford and served both hospitals until 1975. He acquired a high reputation for surgical craftsmanship and taught many generations of junior staff in both hospitals. Particular interests were the surgery of hallux valgus and rotator cuff injuries. A friend remarked that he "enjoyed mending toys, cars and patients; he loved gadgets as well as people". He was remembered by his colleagues with affection. He and his wife had many friends both within and outside medicine and were renowned for their happy parties. He retired from practice in 1975 but continued to enjoy his hobby of golf at which he excelled. He died on 14 July 1983 aged 72 survived by his wife Lorna and three children.