Richard E Shaw was one of the first full-time urologists in the UK and one of the first to set up a urological department in a district general hospital, Walsgrave General Hospital, Coventry. He was born in Ravensthorpe, Yorkshire, the third of four siblings. His father, Edward Shaw, was a corn miller and came from a family of millers. His mother, Eliza Jane Shaw née Hirst, was the daughter of a builder. He was educated at Mirfield Grammar School and had a very happy time there. He decided to study medicine after reading *The science of life* (London, Waverley Book Company, 1929), a popular account of biology, by H G Wells, Julian Huxley and G P Wells, and after attending an open day at the newly-rebuilt Dewsbury and District Infirmary. A physics teacher kindly gave up his own time to teach biology, which was not on the curriculum, to the boys who needed it to get into medical school. Richard entered Leeds University Medical School in 1934, travelling daily to Leeds by bus. He graduated with honours in 1940. After surgical appointments on the professorial unit at Leeds General Infirmary and as a resident surgical officer at the Dewsbury and District Infirmary, he was called up for military service in 1942, joining the RAMC. He initially served as a medical officer to an infantry unit in Norfolk, where he met his future wife, Jean Duncan Hart. He then went off to North Africa as a surgical specialist to military hospitals in Algeria and later to Europe. He married Jean on 17 August 1945 at North Walsham, Norfolk. Soon after he was dispatched to Kenya for two years, to Nairobi and Mombasa. A careful reading of the Army regulations persuaded him that he was entitled to have his wife join him there. He applied and, much to the amazement of fellow officers, including the colonel of the regiment, permission was granted. Jean duly joined him and a second honeymoon was spent on the coast at Shanzu and in western Uganda. Richard found his time in the RAMC both exciting and interesting, and completed his service in early 1947. After returning to civilian life, he was appointed as a chief assistant in surgery to the West Middlesex Hospital. He had an excellent mentor in John Scofield. In 1951, he joined the surgical staff of the Coventry hospitals as a general surgeon. At the time, urological procedures were carried out by general surgeons ‘with an interest in urology’. Richard’s main interest however was in urological surgery. He became an early member of the British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) and increasingly specialised in urology. In 1968 a new hospital, Walsgrave General Hospital, opened in Coventry, and, due to Richard’s work, a dedicated urological department was established as part of the new hospital with a specialised ward and nursing staff. The department was awarded national recognition and granted a senior registrar for higher urological training. Richard was a member of the Société Internationale d’Urologie, and served as a member of the council of BAUS and the council of the urological section of the Royal Society of Medicine, to which he was awarded life membership on his retirement. At various times, he was chairman of the Coventry British Medical Association, a member of the hospital management committee and chairman of the Midland Urological Club. Despite bringing up three children, Jean supported Richard’s work by becoming involved with and chairing the Walsgrave Hospital Volunteers until Richard retired. Throughout his career, Richard maintained an interest in clinical research and teaching. He had a love of learning and was always curious to acquire new skills and knowledge, including taking painting classes and learning Russian before a urology congress in Russia. In retirement, he joined a computer course and used his computer until his eyesight failed. He published many papers, from his first in the *British Journal of Surgery* in 1949 to his last in the *British Journal of Urology* in 1978, initially on general surgery, but latterly on urology topics. He encouraged his junior staff to do the same. He had an encyclopaedic knowledge of urology, but wore his learning lightly. He was an excellent teacher and was ahead of his time in organising weekly Wednesday lunchtime urology department teaching meetings – attended not just by the urology team, but also radiologists, renal physicians and anybody else who was interested. He encouraged his junior doctors to attend regional, national and international urology meetings and conferences. Decades before it became fashionable, he introduced the idea of auditing the performance of the urology department and used the results to improve the urology service. He was an immaculate surgeon and even during the most difficult operations hardly spilt any blood. In those pre-sub specialisation days, he would operate on any part of the urological tract, from top to bottom, male or female, adult or child. It was no coincidence that he was the first to be consulted for urological illness by fellow medical colleagues and their families. He was revered by his patients and was always a gentleman. His advice was sought on matters medical and non-medical. In the 1970s Richard and his urological colleague provided all the urology expertise for the whole of Coventry and Warwickshire; now there are six urologists in Coventry, three in Warwick and two in Nuneaton. Away from his professional life, he had an extremely happy life with Jean and their three children (Andrew, Deborah and Lucy). The family spent many happy times in their cottage in Herefordshire. Richard loved outdoor pursuits, including walking, sailing his dinghy and gardening. He was a very amusing and entertaining person to be with, and had a fund of stories. He was an accomplished pianist until his eyesight deteriorated and, from school productions of Gilbert and Sullivan, he developed a lifelong love of classical music and opera. He had a keen sense of humour and an eye for the absurd. In his later years, he and Jean discovered golf and enjoyed playing wherever they happened to be. As their years advanced, they moved to Cumbria to be near their elder daughter and her family. Jean predeceased Richard by four years, but in 2016 he celebrated his 100th birthday with all his children, seven grandchildren and six great grandchildren. He gave a very moving speech recounting his happy and fulfilling life. He died on 24 April 2018. He was 101.