John Knowles Stanley was a consultant hand surgeon at Wrightington Hospital, Manchester, where he led the upper limb unit, and a professor of hand surgery at the University of Manchester. He was born in Cardiff on 30 March 1944 the son of Frederick John Stanley and Mary Thelma Stanley née Morgan but grew up in Oswestry in North Wales. From Oswestry Boys’ High School, he moved in 1962 to Liverpool University Medical School, qualifying in 1968. These towns are linked indelibly with Sir Robert Jones, the founder of the modern specialty, so a subsequent career in orthopaedic surgery was highly appropriate. After a first house officer post in Ormskirk, he entered surgical training in the Liverpool region, becoming a senior registrar in orthopaedics in 1974. In 1979 he returned to Ormskirk and District General Hospital as a consultant, with sessions at Wrightington Hospital. Shortly after his appointment, at the age of 35, he had a myocardial infarction resulting in bypass surgery. This was a major factor in his decision in 1984 to move to full-time hand surgery at Wrightington. Under his leadership the unit there grew exponentially, developing a particular focus on the treatment of patients suffering with rheumatoid arthritis as well as other complex problems of the wrist. From 1991, he was joined by more consultant colleagues, creating a renowned centre of innovation and excellence. At his retirement in 2009 the Wrightington upper limb unit had 13 consultants, both orthopaedic and plastic, dealing with all conditions of the upper limb, from shoulder to elbow and hand, with a high national and international reputation. This was a testament to John Stanley’s professional and leadership skills as well as his personal qualities of commitment, passion and drive, combined with pragmatism and perseverance. His many patients, particularly those with long-term rheumatoid disease, enjoyed his communication skills and sense of humour, in addition to his clinical judgement and technical virtuosity, and enquired after him long after his retirement. Although much in demand, he forsook private practice early in his career. He developed in its place a large medico-legal practice, which did not interfere so much with family and social life and his hobbies. Such was the quality and clarity of his opinions, that he was required in the witness box only rarely. John Stanley’s research activities, particularly in the introduction of hand and wrist prostheses, produced more than 100 peer-reviewed papers in learned journals as well as countless presentations to learned societies. He wrote two books, supplied chapters for 20 more and delivered many eponymous lectures. He travelled widely, not only in the UK and Europe, but worldwide, particularly in America, Australia, France and Switzerland, resulting in a long list of honorary fellowships and memberships. In 2016 John was declared a ‘pioneer of hand surgery’ by the International Federation of Societies for Surgery of the Hand, a lasting tribute to a great in the field. A crowning British academic accolade was the award in 1996 of a chair in hand surgery by the University of Manchester, a considerable distinction. He supervised many surgical trainees, a role in which he excelled. Many of these were at the end of their orthopaedic training, acquiring a sub-specialist polish in hand surgery before taking up their own consultant appointments. He continued to teach at Wrightington Hospital until shortly before his death. He also served for many years as an examiner for the Intercollegiate Board in Orthopaedic Surgery. Not surprisingly John Stanley was an active member of the British Society for Surgery of the Hand, presenting at many meetings, serving on council and becoming president in 1999. In 2006 his professional standing and the affection in which he was held by the wider surgical community led to his election to the council of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. His College career culminated in his election as vice president from 2010 to 2012, a role in which he served with distinction and good humour. A marker of his standing in the Council was his appointment as secretary of the council club. When vice president, he was invited to give the Robert Jones lecture at the annual meeting of the British Orthopaedic Association, and the College president at the time exercised his right to attend and chair. The hall was so full that the aisle was packed and the procession behind the mace had difficulty reaching the platform, where a space had to be cleared to allow the lecture to proceed. After his first myocardial infarction his subsequent course was complex in the extreme, with four open cardiac operations and numerous other procedures. It stretches the bounds of credibility that, notwithstanding such problems, he completed a distinguished surgical career and a busy family and social life with his enthusiasm and sense of humour unaffected and survived to the age of 76. He had a lifelong passion for aviation having learnt to fly as an air cadet at school. His heart problems prevented him pursuing this, but he worked as a volunteer in the aeronautical section of the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester. He had a serious interest in military history, particularly but not exclusively of the Second World War, and made many visits to battlefield sites. He managed to take flights in a Spitfire, a Mustang and a Lancaster, fulfilling some of his dreams, particularly when he was allowed to take the controls of the Spitfire and found his piloting skills had not deserted him. He was also loved motor cars, provided they were British and Jaguars. He met his wife Gail Simpson when they were both students at Liverpool University and they married in 1964, before he qualified. She supported John in his surgical practice throughout their married life. but her own career blossomed subsequently as a magistrate, Deputy Lord Lieutenant and High Sheriff of Lancashire. In turn he supported her unfailingly, a role well suited to his unassuming but confident, friendly personality. Not surprisingly both were active in support of the British Heart Foundation. A devoted family man, his marriage produced two children, Sian and James, who both followed their father into medicine. Sian became a general practitioner in Bishop’s Stortford and James followed his father into orthopaedic surgery, in York. John Stanley died suddenly but peacefully at home on 4 February 2021.