Davies-Colley, Robert (1881-1955), surgeon

Born in Petworth, Sussex (brother of Frances Baker (artist), Eleanor (surgeon) and Margaret (suffragette) and cousin of Francis McDougall Charlewood Turner).

CMG 1918
MRCS 10 May 1906
FRCS 18 June 1908
BCh Cambridge 1907
MCh 1909

Robert Davies-Colley came from a prominent medical family. His grandfather was Dr Thomas Davies, physician to the Chester General Infirmary, who afterwards took the name of Colley; his father J.N.C. Davies-Colley FRCS was senior surgeon to Guy's Hospital; his mother was a daughter of Charlewood Turner, Treasurer of Guy's from 1856 to 1876; his elder brother Hugh was surgeon to the Cambridge Hospital, Aldershot, and his sister Eleanor was the first woman to be admitted FRCS.

Robert Davies-Colley was educated at Westminster School, Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and Guy's Hospital, qualifying in 1906.

At Guy's Davies-Colley held various posts including those of lecturer in surgical pathology and curator of the medical school museum. He was then appointed obstetric registrar and considered specialising in that subject, but in 1910 transferred to the dissecting room to teach anatomy. This led to his appointment in 1912 to the surgical staff, and during the first world war he served in France and then as consulting surgeon to the Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force with the rank of Colonel; he was mentioned in dispatches and appointed CMG in 1918.

In 1933 Davies-Colley was appointed surgeon at Guy's and he also took on other posts. He was Erasmus Wilson lecturer in surgical pathology 1932-35, 1937 and 1939-46 at the Royal College of Surgeons. He was consulting surgeon to the London County Council and to the Florence Nightingale Hospital, an examiner in surgery to London University and the Society of Apothecaries, and a member of the Court of Examiners at the College 1936-41. He took a special interest in the Children's Medical Home at Waddon, Surrey and was for many years its honorary treasurer.

During the second world war Guy's was dispersed into numerous centres in Kent; Davies-Colley became the officer in charge of the Farnborough Hospital and the liaison between Guy's and the Kent County Council.

Davies-Colley married in 1908 Emily Cecilia, daughter of Arthur Crosby Jones of Chatham. She had been a nurse at Great Ormond Street and Guy's Hospitals, and after her marriage she continued her active voluntary work for Guy's. They had two daughters and one son who was killed in action in 1943, aged 23.
Mrs Davies-Colley died on 16 February 1953.

Davies-Colley was a large man with a heavy but handsome face and a friendly smile.

He died at Guy's on 16 April 1955 aged 73.

Royal College of Surgeons website