Arthur Allan was a consultant general and colorectal surgeon at Good Hope Hospital and an honorary senior clinical lecturer at the University of Birmingham. He was a dedicated, skilled and meticulous surgeon, a compassionate man and a committed Christian. For Arthur, the patient always came first: a human being who should be considered as a whole person and treated as we would care for a member of our own family. Born on 24 July 1948, he came from humble beginnings, an only child, brought up in High Wycombe in a small flat above the cinema run by his parents. His father, also Arthur Allan, was proud of his Scottish ancestors from Aberdeen. He had a distinguished war career as an RAF pilot, before taking over the High Wycombe Theatre Company. His mother, Winifred Rose Allan née Fairman, was of Huguenot descent, a heritage which fascinated Arthur when he later came to research his ancestry. After an unfortunate start to his education – deemed ‘ineducable’ aged six, due to mild undiagnosed dyslexia – Arthur attended Ardingly College from the age of eight. His busy parents wanted him to grow up among other children, and he settled happily in the junior house. He continued to flourish throughout his school life, enjoying success academically as well as on the sports field. He fenced at county level and played hockey and rugby for school teams. He went on to study at St Bartholomew’s Hospital Medical College, where he was a diligent and successful student, qualifying in 1971. During his student years he played hockey and rugby for Barts, as well as playing for Amersham Hockey Club and later at Wimborne Minster Rugby Club. Arthur was a house surgeon at Barts, working for Edward Tuckwell and Martin Birnstingl, and a house physician at Poole General Hospital. After deciding upon a surgical career, he enjoyed a year demonstrating anatomy and lecturing in embryology at King’s College London, which ignited his love of teaching. His surgical journey continued via Birmingham Accident Hospital and the Medical Research Council’s burns unit at Brompton Hospital (where he was briefly tempted by respiratory medicine) and Wycombe General Hospital. By this time, he was developing a specialist interest in colorectal surgery, and as a surgical registrar at the Middlesex Hospital he undertook weekly sessions at St Mark’s Hospital. This led him to embark upon his MD ‘The role of luminal bacterial antigens in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease’, supervised by Derek Jewell, consultant gastrointestinal physician in Oxford, and completed in 1982. This successful surgical/physician collaboration subsequently influenced Arthur’s balanced and thoughtful approach to every patient in his care. Arthur moved to Bristol as a registrar in general surgery, undertaking paediatric surgery sessions at Bristol Children’s Hospital. In 1983 he was appointed as a senior registrar on the West Midlands training scheme, where he was fortunate to work closely with Robin C N Williamson, John Alexander-Williams and Michael R B Keighley. He spent an elective year in Birmingham and North America, pursuing clinical and research interests in inflammatory bowel disease. In 1988 Arthur was appointed as a consultant general and colorectal surgeon at Good Hope Hospital, a busy district general hospital in north Birmingham. Initially the only colorectal consultant in a small department, he gradually assembled today’s busy specialist coloproctology unit. Arthur relentlessly sought the best available diagnostic and therapeutic support for his patients. Keeping abreast of evidence-based best practice, his vision turned the unit into a comprehensive centre of excellence. He set up the first TEM (Transanal endoscopic microsurgery) service in the West Midlands, and the first anorectal physiology laboratory and endoanal ultrasound service in north Birmingham and south-east Staffordshire. Today, the department employs five consultant surgeons and four specialist nurses, and is widely recognised for first-class patient management, care and outcomes. He nurtured productive collaboration with a range of colleagues, and the surgical team worked closely with five consultant gastroenterologists. Arthur established joint clinics and x-ray meetings, based on a shared interest in inflammatory bowel disease. He initiated weekly multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings and joint clinics to bring together oncological experts. The spirit of co-operation he fostered is perpetuated today in formal MDT meetings, such as complex polyp MDT, IBD MDT and grand rounds. Arthur’s mission was to provide first-class care for all patients with colorectal disease or cancer, with reciprocal interaction between different consultants to continually improve patient management. Arthur took a great interest in young surgeons, and he spent five years as West Midlands specialty adviser in general surgery. He took this position very seriously, conscious of supporting and maintaining the standards of the next generation. He was a member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England’s court of examiners from 2007 to 2013, a role he found rewarding. He enjoyed meeting surgical colleagues from elsewhere, sharing ideas and practice. Although time-consuming, he tried to manage these various responsibilities with an efficient and even hand, in a spirit of quiet diplomacy. He was also a council member and West Midlands chapter organiser for the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland. He sat on the clinical services and the education and training committees, and his tenure shaped the West Midlands training scheme for juniors. Arthur was elected president of the West Midlands Surgical Society (2008 to 2009); he initiated and developed the annual Association of Coloproctology teaching day at Good Hope Hospital. During his career Arthur was awarded numerous prestigious prizes, grants and travelling fellowships, which he used to widen his experience and extend his surgical expertise. Research and evidence-based innovation fascinated him, and he always had some ongoing research throughout his career. Despite a busy clinical load, his research output was commendable, with more than 50 published peer-reviewed full papers. He continued to enjoy teaching, later becoming an honorary senior clinical lecturer at Birmingham University. He supervised postgraduate theses, examined for the final MB BS at Good Hope, and the MD at Birmingham University. Juniors and medical students alike benefitted from his clear and patient explanations, and he always made time to encourage youngsters considering a medical career. In retirement, Arthur was characteristically single-minded in his enthusiasm for new interests. Never a linguist at school, he enthusiastically took up French: progressing from ‘no French’, via ‘A’ level, to achieve an Open University diploma in the language. He continued weekly meetings with his advanced French group, where he is fondly remembered as ‘le petit hérisson’ (the little hedgehog), with a strangely pedantic interest in the subjunctive! He travelled to Nîmes in France each year to immerse himself in the language and culture, making lasting friendships there. Arthur began learning the saxophone from scratch, becoming a competent musician, with particular attention to the challenges of music theory. He wrote sonnets and read widely, loved skiing, walking and gardening. In his ‘spare time’ he served as a volunteer at Dogs Trust and brought home several rescue dogs to join the family. He usually had a needy dog by his side, spending fruitful hours patiently rehabilitating them as happy canine companions. Always a faithful churchgoer, Arthur had time in retirement to take on more discipleship roles. He made close friends at Holy Trinity Church, Shrewsbury, where he was an assistant church warden. Two of them started the Say1:4Me parish prayer initiative, visiting local homes to offer prayer for people on their doorsteps. Arthur’s life was defined by his Christian faith. A humble man of wisdom and integrity, warmth and love, humour and patience, he had a compelling quality of focusing on one person at a time, was an empathetic listener and encourager, a practical problem solver and a reflective thinker. He is remembered at Good Hope with affection, respect and admiration for his selfless contribution to the wellbeing of colleagues and the care of generations of patients. He would have been humbled, but touched, to know that the handover room at Good Hope will henceforth be called the Arthur Allan seminar room. Genuine compassion was the cornerstone of Arthur’s life, work and faith. His students and juniors were reminded that ‘although we cannot always cure our patients, we can always be kind to them’. Although self-effacing, Arthur was gratified when several of his juniors confessed that they decided to become surgeons because of the way he approached his practice and cared for his patients. He spotted talents in others and encouraged them to pursue their strengths, nurturing colorectal cancer leads and other leadership roles. He devoted time and care to his patients, carried the burdens of colleagues and mentored many at the start of their careers. His enduring qualities of compassion and care were costly at times, leaving him little to spare for himself. Arthur died on 17 October 2023 at the age of 75. He was survived by his wife Trish (Patricia Mary née Munson), a public health doctor, and their four children Barnaby, Prudence, Eloise and Joseph.