Plarr’s Lives of the Fellows

Peter Cole worked as a Consultant General Surgeon in Carlisle for 23 years. He was one of the last of the generation of true general surgeons and was highly respected by his peers and trainees for his technical ability in a very wide range of procedures. He was recognised for his gastrointestinal surgery skills and, in particular, for his expertise in oesophageal and gastro-duodenal procedures. He was born in Birmingham in 1934, the first son of Cyril Edmund Cole, a schoolteacher, and Bronddhu Honorine nee Harris. His senior schooling was at Merchant Taylor’s School in Liverpool and then completed at King Edward’s School in Birmingham, to which he had been awarded a scholarship in 1950. He was admitted to Birmingham University Medical School in 1952 and completed his undergraduate training in 1957. His first post as a House Officer was in General Surgery in Mr JAC Edwards’s unit at the General Hospital in Birmingham. He attributed his experience in this post to arousing his interest in undertaking a career in surgery. However, prior to embarking on surgical training, he completed his National Service between 1958 - 60. He was appointed as Regimental Medical Officer to the 1st King’s Regiment in Manchester and Liverpool, and subsequently served in British East Africa. On completion of his National Service, he undertook Senior Surgical House Officer training between 1961 and 1963 at the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle. He recalled how Mr Bruce Maclean (Consultant General Surgeon) was an important influence on his training, both at that time and subsequently. With his support, he was appointed to the Surgical Registrar rotation at Aberdeen General Hospital in 1963. In 1965, he married and then spent a year as a Research Fellow at Harvard University, undertaking studies in organ preservation. He returned to Aberdeen in 1966 to complete his training as a Senior Registrar in General Surgery. His training in NE Scotland allowed him to gain experience in a very wide range of surgical procedures, notably in oesophageal and gastric surgery due to the high prevalence of upper gastrointestinal cancer and peptic ulceration in that region. He remembered Mr PF Jones for teaching him the technical complexities of this type of surgery. He was appointed as a Consultant General Surgeon at the Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle, in 1969 and remained in that post until his retirement in 1992. He was one of four general surgeons covering a wide range of conditions, including urology. His particular interest remained gastrointestinal surgery, and his colleagues recognised his skill and excellent outcomes in gastric and oesophageal surgery and thus referred more complex cases to him. He was an early adopter of the concept of multidisciplinary working and soon after his appointment established a combined gastroenterology clinic with his physician colleague Dr Robin Salter. They published a paper in the British Medical Journal and a later one in the British Journal of Surgery, describing the working and advantages of such a team approach to gastrointestinal diseases. He trained senior registrars from the Northern Region, the Indian sub-continent and also New South Wales, Australia. A period of training with him was highly regarded and especially for those who were developing their own interest in upper gastrointestinal surgery. He keenly supported the North of England Surgical Society and also the Association of Surgeons of GB and Ireland. He took a somewhat early retirement under an NHS scheme aimed at solving the build up of qualified senior registrars awaiting consultant posts. The decision was made easier by his increasing frustration with the way in which the management of the NHS was, in his opinion, interfering with clinical care. He married Anne Wannop, also a doctor, specialising in child health, in 1965. They had two daughters, Sarah and Jane. Tragically, Jane died in 2002 in an accident at the age of 34. After retirement, Peter and Anne enjoyed travelling, spending time with family and friends and reading. Anne sadly died in 2020. Peter died at the age of 90 and is survived by Sarah and five grandchildren: Flynn, Hannah, Emma, James and Megan.