Wilfred Watkin OBE

Born 1921 and qualified BDS at Durham 1945, Wilfred (Mick) Watkin (OBE) remained a 'Durham Man' all his life. At dental school he met his wife to be and they were married in 1946, having one son who produced three grand-children for them. Sadly, Valerie died eight years ago and left Mick with golf as his main interest.

After qualification, Mick did a 'house' post for six months before a short service commission in the RADC 1946/52. In 1952 he joined a Lowestoft practice as an assistant and became principal in the practice until his retirement in 1984. Apart from dedicating himself to his NHS practice he found time to serve the profession in several other ways.

Mick did all the usual jobs in his Section and the Branch, becoming President of the Eastern Counties Branch 1976/77. Serving on the Rep Board from 1965/78 he belonged to many sub-committees including the GDSC and Ethics Committee (ethics being one of his strong points).

During these years Mick was also a member of East Suffolk LDC (1955/73) and its Chairman from 1974/78.

In 1969 he was appointed member of the Dental Estimates Board (DEB) at Eastbourne and continued from 1978 to 1984 as its vice-chairman. It was due to his unstinting service to the Board which often necessitated more than one visit per month to Eastbourne taking one-and-a-half or even two days, that earned his thoroughly deserved OBE.

As it always was in his practice, 'fairness' was his watchword at Eastbourne and he made sure that this applied both to DEB staff and GDPs. He did not suffer fools gladly but would always listen to a well argued point.

During his 15 years on the Board he served under two chairmen and three clerks and saw the change over from the manual system to the computerised one we have today, including one huge upgrade. Other changes which he helped oversee were to the price list and the forms themselves, all of which involved much paperwork and debate. The profession owes him a huge vote of gratitude.

Sadly his last few months were not the easiest but he kept his humour and his smile throughout and managed a round of golf and a 'wee dram' to the last.

M. D. P.

Peter Henry Dalziel Lewars

'Who else could relate 'The parting of the Red Sea' in Geordie while taking out wisdom teeth?"

Peter Lewars was born in Newcastle in 1922. His father, a dentist, taught him, from an early age, the skills of a dental technician. He made his first denture at the age of nine! Cabinet making, the recognition of rare timbers and the making of fireworks were all part of the practical legacy of his childhood.

The Royal Grammar School led to matriculation, lifelong friendships, a knowledge of contract bridge and entry to Durham University, where he undertook combined medical and dental studies. His mother, by then a widow, was helped by a grant from the BDA Benevolent Fund.

Qualification in dentistry in 1946 was followed by a house post at the Royal Dental Hospital and then commissioning in the Army Dental Corps, with service in the Middle East.

Peter returned to Newcastle to complete the MB BS in 1951, simultaneously keeping his family by part-time dentistry. Oral surgery training took him to the Plastic Unit, Sheffield and thence to Withington.

His first much enjoyed appointment was to Salford and Wigan. In 1963 he went to Exeter, where, for 25 years he worked tirelessly covering a huge area of Devon, being almost continuously on call.

He found time for a distinguished career in the Territorial Army and commanded 211 Field Hospital RAMC. He loved good food, fine wines, was knowledgeable about antiques and music. He enjoyed gardening and through his long friendship with Hugh Falkus, became addicted to fishing.

We glimpsed his devotion to Pamela, whom he married in 1947. We saw his pride in their sons, Adam, Mark and Jo; and the long shadow cast by Adam's fatal accident.

Peter died peacefully on April 1st 2001 after a year of ill health.

Yes, a most capable, solid, caring professional – a pioneer in oral surgery – a full life: but through all there was a sweet, warm, encouraging and generous personality. A sad, sad loss.

P. A. B.

Donald Watson Macfarlane

Donald Macfarlane died, aged 87 on 1st April 2001 following a serious stroke some six weeks previously. He was born in Derby and was educated at schools in Harrogate and Birmingham before entering Guy's Hospital Dental School in 1931, qualifying LDS RCS (Eng) in 1935. Following a series of locum and assistantship appointments, in 1939, on the outbreak of World War II he volunteered for service in the Dental Branch of the Royal Air Force.

He was demobilised in 1945 and soon established a practice in Croydon which, in 1948, undertook work under the newly formed National Health Service. Having been convinced of the value of dental hygienists during his service in the Royal Air Force, he appointed one to his practice the moment that the 1956 Dentists Act became law and allowed them to be employed other than in hospitals. During this period he undertook part-time work, first in the School Dental Service, then at St George's Hospital in Tooting and finally in 1967 he joined the Department of Periodontology and Preventive Dentistry at Guy's as a part-time demonstrator.

It was at Guy's that his qualities as a teacher became apparent; not only was he an outstanding chairside teacher but his high ethical standards provided an excellent example of professional conduct to students. In 1970 Donald became full-time and was appointed head of the Guy's Hospital School of Dental Hygiene, a post he held with distinction until his retirement in 1979. During this period he saw the move of the school into the new Guy's Tower and the Hygiene School double in size with two entries a year.

Throughout his career Donald Macfarlane had a keen interest in toothbrush design and it was at Guy's that he was able to initiate a programme to test the efficiency and longevity of brushes. As there was no suitable apparatus available for his experiments, he acquired an electrically driven Singer sewing machine and, with remarkable ingenuity, adapted it to provide a standardised series of tests. As a result of these interests he was appointed chairman of the British Standards Institute Toothbrush Committee, a job he held for 15 years. His innovative skills extended into the design of a set of hand scalers, now marketed internationally as Macfarlane Scalers, and the development of a technique to splint loose teeth known as 'tunnel splinting.' A colour film demonstrating the procedure became widely available and received extensive showing at both national and international clinical meetings.

In 1946 he was Chairman of the Croydon Division of the Southem Counties Branch of the BDA, and was an active member of the British Society of Periodontology which he served as a Council Member, Treasurer and in 1979, as President. He regularly attended FDI Congresses and presented table demonstrations on topics relating to periodontology and preventive aspects of clinical practice. Away from his profession he was actively involved in Rotary and the Addiscombe Boys' Club. In his retirement, in collaboration with RD Emslie, he undertook the formidable task of producing the dental section of an international medical dictionary. More recently, his skills as a sculptor have come to light and several examples of his work have been exhibited.

Donald Macfarlane never lost his tall, slim build, leaving no difficulty in imagining his youthful athletic prowess as a cross country runner and a keen skier, a sport which came to an end when he sustained his second fractured leg in 1961. He was a gentleman in every respect, kind, gentle, patient, courteous and generous with a good sense of humour who was much loved and admired by his students, his patients and his colleagues. He was married to Sheila for almost 64 years. To her, their son John, a physician, and their daughters Dinah and Sarah, his many friends throughout the dental profession will wish to offer deepest sympathy.

R. D. E and M. N. N.

Aubrey John Walpole Day

Jack passed away on 23 October 2000 at the age of 88 after a long illness bravely endured. He was born in Nuneaton, the younger son of a science teacher at the King Edward VI grammar school, where Jack received his secondary education together with his brother who is still alive. Consequently, in those days they were known as Day major and minor, a far cry from the informality of today. From there Jack became a dental student at Birmingham University and qualified with an LDS in 1934. Two years later he passed the examination for the HDD at Edinburgh, which was converted twenty years later to an FDS. He obtained his D Orth in 1954.

He married Enni Strasser from Vienna in 1937 and they had three children, a son and two daughters. Their son, Eric, who qualified as a dentist in 1960, soon started his own practice where he still continues to work. Although Jack was a member of the BDA, his main interest lay with the British Society for the Study of Orthodontics, of which he became President. He began to specialise in orthodontics early in his career and became a consultant at the inception of the NHS in 1948 at Birmingham Dental Hospital. He was also a senior lecturer at the Dental School until his retirement in 1977, just eighteen months after his wife died. However, he was able to further an interest in Egyptology, which became a way of life to such an extent, that he adopted the Coptic faith. He was responsible for much of the internal structure of the first church in Hampton-in-Arden, Warwickshire, as well as a retreat in the same region at Lapworth. He was a deacon for several years and eventually the Coptic Pope created him Archdeacon – a unique position, as Jack was the only one in Britain as well as being the only English person ever to hold this position.

At the time of his death, Jack had six grandchildren and five great-grand children all of whom will miss him greatly. Our condolences go to everyone in his family and all his friends in the Church.

F. N. Y and M. W. Y.