Bill Barrie was a consultant general surgeon who was a driving force in developing surgery, and laparoscopic surgery in particular, at Leicester General Hospital. He was born on 22 May 1945 in Glasgow, the son of Robert Barrie, an engineer at the engineering firm G and J Weir, and Annie Barrie née Wright. He attended Coatbridge High School and, with the encouragement of his local GP, attained the necessary qualifications to study medicine at the University of Glasgow. In addition to achieving this goal, Bill became president of Glasgow University Union and, as speaker of the house, chaired debates which involved luminaries such as the future politicians John Smith and Menzies Campbell. He also met his future wife, Lucille Groundwater, a fellow medical student, became a passionate cyclist and purchased a red Austin Healey 3000, which he owned until his death. He graduated MB ChB in 1968 and undertook house jobs in Dumfries and Glasgow. He continued his training in general and vascular surgery, including spending 18 months as a research fellow at the State University of New York. He returned to the UK in 1977 to a post of lecturer in surgery at Leicester General Hospital under Peter Bell. In 1980 he was awarded the degree of MD from the University of Glasgow for a thesis on ‘Influence of haematocrit and fibrinogen concentration on vascular resistance’. In collaboration with Bell, he co-authored a book *Operative arterial surgery* (Bristol, Wright), published in 1981. His enthusiasm for hard work led to his appointment to the post of consultant general surgeon in 1978 at Leicester, with an interest in vascular surgery. He was a good general surgeon and he approached everything he did with great gusto and dedicated application. Whilst he was a true general surgeon, during his years as a consultant various aspects of surgery became specialties in their own right: breast surgery, upper GI and latterly vascular surgery itself, were separated off from general surgery. Bill saw the writing on the wall and, with his customary enthusiasm, decided to develop his skills in laparoscopic surgery. Hitherto the domain of gynaecologists, new engineering led to the availability of equipment for undertaking complex intra-abdominal surgery and Bill recognised the benefits that could accrue for his patients, particularly in the post-operative period. He took some sabbatical leave and returned to America, where the general surgeons were well ahead in developing the techniques. On his return, he constructed a contraption consisting of a cardboard box and a large mirror so that he could become skilled in camera manipulation, dissection and knot tying. This became a vital aid on the many training courses he went on to run in Leicester. He became one of the first surgeons in the UK to undertake laparoscopic cholecystectomy and then moved on to add herniorrhaphy and bowel resection to his practice. After a visit to his alma mater, he started to perform thoracic sympathectomy by laparoscopy and was the first to publish a short series on these patients who were managed as day cases. He was a keen exponent of day case surgery and, by the turn of the century, he regularly performed laparoscopic cholecystectomy and herniorrhaphy for patients and had a very low admission rate postoperatively. He was a founder member of the Association of Endoscopic Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland. The rapid expansion of this technique led to some well publicised disasters, thus leading to the need for improved training. Bill established one of the first training units using audio-visual links from the operating theatre to lecture theatres in hospitals around the country. He had a justified reputation as a good teacher, and he was held in high regard by medical students and trainees alike. Many of the over 50 publications which bear his name featured the senior registrars who passed through his firm, reflecting his commitment to advancing the science and to encouraging personal development. He served as clinical sub dean at the University of Leicester and, when the NHS transformed itself into a business, Bill foresaw that the appropriate place to ensure the best for his patients was from inside the management structure. When Leicester General Hospital became an NHS trust, he was the foundation clinical director of surgery – a large directorate, which included urology, anaesthesia and critical care and theatres. He was a great success as a manager, probably to the surprise of many, for he had been very critical of ‘management’ in the pre-trust days which, in Leicester, saw resources being allocated by a distant board in Sheffield. There were three hospital trusts in Leicester and there was a risk that the General Hospital, without the medical school (at Leicester Royal Infirmary) and cardiothoracic (at Glenfield) might become the poor relation. Bill relished the challenge of protecting the General from that risk and it was due to his presence, fearlessness before establishment lions, and his clear thinking that the hospital not only maintained an important place in the east Midlands, but that it flourished and became a leading centre for hepatobiliary surgery, renal medicine and surgery and sports medicine. Eventually the three trusts in Leicester amalgamated into one gigantic organisation and Bill did not seek the post of surgical supremo. His wife Lucille had become seriously ill and died in 2002. His appetite for work was undimmed, however, and he continued to champion day case surgery, passing on his laparoscopic skills to trainees, and kept up his thriving private practice. Although he was gregarious and enthusiastic with his hospitality, he was very private regarding his achievements, and he did not cultivate favours within his professional life. His interests out with medicine included cycling, skiing and motor cars. His single-mindedness could be illustrated by his reaction to breaking an ankle while skiing in Austria. Instead of accepting the advice of the local orthopaedic surgeons, who were dealing with countless similar injuries every day, he hobbled onto a plane and took himself off to a home colleague for treatment. The next day he was to be found in the operating theatre operating on his patients with his leg supported on a theatre trolley. He eventually moved out into the countryside and rediscovered his love of cycling, becoming a very active and supportive member of the Welland Valley Cycling Club. He was particularly interested in encouraging the younger members of the club to become involved in competitive cycling events. Bill, himself, participated in L’Étape du Tour de France. He met and married Sheelagh Shaen-Carter, an architect who had redesigned his new house in Medbourne. Sadly, he was diagnosed with prostatic cancer in 2008. In typical fashion, he refused to accept that the only answer was radical surgery or feminising hormones, both of which would mean the end of his cycling activities. He took advice from Nottingham, Leeds, Bristol and Leicester, in each of which he received excellent care. That he survived for another 15 years was a reflection of his determination and courage. He died on 22 October 2023. He was 78. His enthusiasm and commitment to life was reflected in his work and dedication to his patients, as well as his support for the base hospital in which he worked and extended into his family life.