George Reginald Crawshaw was born on 9 July 1916. He studied medicine at Manchester University and qualified MB ChB in 1939. He was OC No 2 (Brit) Mobile Neurosurgical Unit of the RAMC and then became a civilian medical practitioner with the Military Hospital, Colchester. After gaining his FRCS in 1947 he was appointed junior assistant surgeon to the Johannesburg General Hospital from March 1948 to June 1949 when he became principal surgeon. He was consultant surgeon (cardio-thoracic) to the Bulawayo Group of Hospitals and published various papers on cardiac, thoracic and oesophageal surgery. He returned to England on his retirement and was living in Dedham, Essex at the time of his death on 2 February 1979.