Gordon Tippett was born at Rainham, Kent on 22 October 1901 and entered St Thomas's Hospital for medical studies, qualifying in 1926. After early appointments in the orthopaedic department at St Thomas's Hospital he passed the FRCS in 1932 and served as surgical registrar at the National Temperance Hospital and as chief assistant at the physiotherapy department at University College Hospital; at Croydon General Hospital, orthopaedic surgeon at Bermondsey Borough Council and surgical specialist to the Ministry of National Insurance. He was additionally honorary orthopaedic surgeon at Fleet Hospital, Farnborough Hospital and Odiham Cottage Hospital. After the introduction of the National Health Service he was appointed consultant orthopaedic surgeon to St Olave's, Bermondsey, and also to the Farnham Hospital Group. He was a member of the Section of Orthopaedic Surgery of the Royal Society of Medicine and presented papers at section meetings as well as contributing articles to orthopaedic journals. In addition to hospital work he practised privately until his retirement in 1969 when he left London in order to live in Axminster, Devon. He died in the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital on 6 October 1988 aged 87 and is survived by his wife Priscilla.