David Gordon Fife was a consultant ENT surgeon at Basildon University Hospital. He was born in the Indian city of Dehradun in the foothills of the Himalayas, two weeks after the outbreak of the Second World War, the eldest child of James (‘Jim’) Gordon Fife and Joyce Fife née Barnshaw. Jim had qualified as a doctor at St Mary’s Hospital in 1937, where one of his teachers was Alexander Fleming, and was a serving officer in the Indian Medical Service. Joyce was a nurse. Joyce returned to England by sea with David and his younger brother and sister in late 1943, a hazardous journey via the Suez Canal and Mediterranean. They arrived in Liverpool, before moving to Alexandra Palace in north London, where they spent much of their time in bomb shelters. After the war, the family set up home in Gidea Park, Essex, where Jim became a GP, before returning to Delhi in the 1960s to work as a medical officer at the British High Commission. David was educated at Brentwood Preparatory School and Oakham School, before attending the London Hospital medical college, qualifying in 1963. It was while he was still a student that he met Eileen Ponton, a nurse from north Yorkshire who had trained at the London Hospital. They married in 1962 and had a very happy 63-year marriage. Their two daughters followed their father into the medical profession: Amanda became a consultant microbiologist at King’s College Hospital, London and Kate (Kathryn) is a consultant in clinical oncology in Cambridge and an affiliated associate professor at the University of Cambridge. David became a registrar in ENT surgery in 1965 at the London Hospital and subsequently at the Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital, obtaining his FRCS in 1969. In 1970, at the tender age of 30, he was appointed as a consultant in mid Essex, Basildon and Thurrock. He was a general ENT surgeon with a special interest in the surgical and medical management of ear disease and paediatric otolaryngology. He was an early proponent of the multidisciplinary approach to complex problems and ran a joint cleft palate clinic with the plastic surgeon Brian Sommerlad at St Andrew’s Centre for 20 years. During his career at Chelmsford, Basildon and Orsett hospitals, David was instrumental in considerably expanding the ENT service, with the appointment of several more consultants. Throughout his career he was committed to equality and diversity. He was also a gifted educator, dedicated to the training of the next generation of ENT surgeons. David’s commitment to training was reflected in his service as chair of the ENT advisory committee to the North East Thames Regional Health Authority from 1980 to 1992, and as a member of the council of British Association of Otolaryngologists – Head and Neck Surgeons from 1982 to 1990. Between 1994 and 1998 he was the regional specialty adviser (otolaryngology) for the North East Thames Regional Health Authority and chair of the specialist training committee, before becoming regional adviser for the Royal College of Surgeons of England for north east Thames from 1998 to 1999. He was also clinical chair of surgery at the Mid Essex Hospitals Trust. David retired in 2002 and enjoyed a long and happy retirement pursuing his many hobbies and interests. Away from his work, David was a keen fly fisherman and enjoyed many holidays in Yorkshire and Scotland in the company of his fishing buddies, among them Bernard Ribeiro, who became president of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. David had a famous passion for cars, owning at least 40 during his lifetime. This enthusiasm meant that his family ended up driving around in an eclectic and not always suitable selection of vehicles – Eileen at one point had do the school run (with two children and a dog) in a stylish but completely impractical Triumph Spitfire. David also enjoyed dinghy sailing and was a member of the Aldeburgh Yacht Club. At home, David spent many happy hours tending his beautiful woodland garden at his home in Great Warley, Essex, where he and Eileen had moved in 1967. David died 4 June 2025 at the age of 86. He was a very popular colleague and friend, known for his kindness, gentle nature and generosity. He had a large circle of friends, many of whom he had known from his days at medical school.