Henry Vernon Crock (known as Harry) was a pioneering Australian spinal surgeon. He was born in Perth, Western Australia on 14 September 1929, the son of Vernon Crock and Annie Crock née Doyle. He studied medicine at the University of Melbourne with his identical twin brother Gerard William Crock, who later became a professor of ophthalmology at the University of Melbourne. In 1953 Harry graduated with honours with gold medals in medicine and surgery, and began his medical career at St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne. In 1957, he won a Nuffield scholarship and travelled to England and was appointed as the Nuffield Dominion clinical assistant in orthopaedic surgery at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Oxford and a lecturer in orthopaedic surgery at Oxford University. The latter position in Josep Trueta’s department was where he developed a lifelong interest in the anatomy of the blood supply of bone. From this period, Harry published several important articles on the vascular supply of the vertebral column and on the arterial supply of the upper end of the human femur, including ‘The arterial supply and venous drainage of the vertebral column of the dog’ (*J Anat* 1960, Jan;94:88-99) and ‘A revision of the anatomy of the arteries supplying the upper end of the human femur’ (*J Anat* 1965, Jan;99:77-88). On returning to Australia, Harry was appointed to the post of senior honorary orthopaedic surgeon at St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne, where he helped to build an orthopaedic unit with a particular interest in spinal surgery. At that time many of his patients were migrant workers, with little knowledge of English or of the Australian legal system, who had sustained serious work-related back injuries. Having diagnosed and managed their conditions, Harry supported these workers in their claims for compensation and he was renowned for his skill in providing expert witness evidence. In 1973 Harry published his work on the venous drainage of the human lumbar vertebral body (‘Observations on the venous drainage of the human vertebral body’ *J Bone Joint Surg Br* 1973 Aug;55[3]:528-33). In 1976, he introduced the concept of isolated disc resorption as a cause of back pain and resulting in nerve root compression (‘Isolated lumbar disk resorption as a cause of nerve root canal stenosis’ Clin Orthop Relat Res. 1976 Mar-Apr;[115]:109-15). In 1986 Harry Crock returned to the United Kingdom and joined the staff of the Cromwell Hospital in London. He was also appointed as an honorary consultant orthopaedic surgeon at the Hammersmith Hospital and an honorary senior lecturer at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School, London. At Hammersmith Harry and I operated together and undertook research on the neurovascular supply of the vertebral end plate in patients who had undergone anterior spinal fusion to treat low back pain. Harry’s interest in anatomy was developed at an early stage of his career when he was senior demonstrator in anatomy at the University of Melbourne and on his return to the UK in 1986 Harry was appointed as a visiting lecturer and Arnott demonstrator in the department of anatomy at the Royal College of Surgeons. One of his significant anatomical contributions was the method he developed of special injection and photographic techniques in order to illustrate the blood supply of the human skeleton and the spinal cord. This led to many publications, of which the last, *An atlas of the vascular anatomy of the skeleton and spinal cord* (London, Martin Dunitz, 1996) is the most comprehensive and beautifully illustrated work of the blood supply of the spine currently available. His classical demonstration of the venous congestion of the nerve root resulting in nerve root stenosis has stood the test of time and continues to be applied in the surgery of spinal nerve root decompression (‘Normal and pathological anatomy of the lumbar spinal nerve root canals’ *J Bone Joint Surg Br* 1981;63B[4]:487-90). Harry Crock was also someone who was prepared to develop new methods in surgery. He embraced the retroperitoneal approach for anterior lumbar surgery, designing special instruments in order to achieve an inter-body lumbar fusion. In 1983, he published his classical book *The practice of spinal surgery* (Wien, New York, Springer Verlag, 1983), which is still essential reading for spinal surgeons today. Harry continued to publish throughout his long career and later became interested in spinal cord injuries and their management, something which may have harked back to his days in Australia when he worked with Sir George Montario Bedbrook. Harry was also actively involved in teaching orthopaedic surgery, both to undergraduates, in his early days, and later, especially spinal surgery, to postgraduates. He trained numerous spinal surgeons from around the world, particularly from the Far East, Australia and North America and, unsurprisingly given his gentle wit and easy charm, was a popular lecturer throughout the world, notably in Europe, USA, Japan, China and India. Harry deservedly had an international reputation as a spinal surgeon and lecturer, receiving many awards and prizes, including several from the Australian Orthopaedic Association and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. In 1984, he was made an officer of the Order of Australia for services to orthopaedics. His twin brother was also made an officer in 1985. Harry was a founding member of the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine and in 1985 was elected president. In 1990, he was elected a corresponding fellow of the Japanese Orthopaedic Association and in 1997 was made an honorary fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. In 2009, he was awarded an honorary DSc from the University of Melbourne. Working with Harry was always a pleasure. His surgical skills were obvious and his overriding principles of humanity and care for his patients were paramount. Having said that, when convinced that his opinion and plan of management was in the patient’s best interest, he was always prepared to strongly defend his views. He was also not afraid to be critical of poor standards of surgery by others. His patience, tolerance and understanding of patients with complex spinal problems, resulting in long-standing back pain was immense. He had many interests apart from spinal surgery, in particular a collection of paintings, including the work of the English painter David Smith, who had been an official artist with the British Antarctic Survey. Several of the paintings in Harry’s home in London were by David Smith, who also painted Harry’s portrait, now in the National Gallery, Canberra, Australia. In retirement Harry developed a new career, becoming an enthusiastic mosaicist. Harry was a naturally kind man who derived pleasure from his many friends and had a genuine regard for their interests. Some, like Sir Roy Calne, whom he first met in 1957 when they were in Oxford, remained lifelong friends, while others whom he taught or collaborated with greatly enjoyed the company of this most humane of men. Harry Crock died peacefully on 21 April 2018. He was 88. He will be missed by those who were lucky enough to be his patients and who benefited not only from his surgical skills but also from the way he so willingly gave his time to them. And he will be sorely missed by his family, particularly his wife, Carmel, who is also medically qualified and who married Harry when they were in Oxford in 1958. Carmel worked closely with Harry throughout his career and published several papers with him. They had five children – Catherine, Elizabeth, Carmel, Vernon and Damian. Two of their three daughters are medical doctors, and the third has a PhD in nursing ethics and HIV/AIDS. It can clearly be said that Harry Crock was a master spinal surgeon who cared for his patients and who produced new information on the arterial supply of the vertebra, the spinal cord and the nerve roots. Fortunately, Harry’s many contributions to spinal surgery and spinal anatomy will live on in an annual lecture organised by DISCS, the charity he established to fund research into the causes, mechanisms and management of back pain. The DISCS Henry V Crock lecture is now held at the meeting of the Society for Back Pain Research in England.