PAXTON Dewar, for 17 years a Consultant Surgeon at Airedale Hospital and now retired, has just published his memoir, ‘Diverse Theatres of Operations’

Whether operating in the tense atmosphere of the theatre of war, or in the more familiar setting of a Yorkshire hospital, Paxton vividly recalls his extraordinary career as a surgeon, repairing bodies and saving lives at sea and on shore. The book takes readers on a remarkable journey sailing across oceans in famous ships such as HMS Ark Royal and Royal Fleet Auxiliary Argus, and on the front line of medicine in the NHS.

“I am fortunate to have experienced a varied professional life that has taken me around the world combining my two passions, surgery and the Royal Navy, and I’ve been lucky enough to have had the privilege of helping patients in life and death situations as well as surviving personal dangers in action, afloat,” says Paxton, who retired to Ilkley after working in Singapore, Gibraltar and hospitals in the UK before being appointed to Airedale in 1994.

Paxton spent 28 years in the Royal Navy, initially training as a surgeon including a period of intense research in Professor David Johnston’s Academic Unit at the Leeds General Infirmary. During this time he also got to know the Leeds/Ilkley area playing cricket for Bradford and the Wharfedale Ramblers.

During sea time he experienced the life-threatening situation of ‘fire at sea’ on two separate occasions but more happily was part of the UK representation at the Independence of Fiji when the then Prince Charles represented Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.

On being made a Consultant he spent many years at Royal Naval Hospital Haslar near Portsmouth and was appointed as Professor of Naval Surgery by the Royal College of Surgeons of England. During this time he was involved in the management of naval casualties from the Falklands “war” with Argentina. Two years as Principal Medical Officer in HMS Ark Royal involved the rescue of “Boat People from Viet Nam” in the South China Sea and attending the Bicentennial Celebrations in Australia.

When the first Gulf War loomed in 1990, Paxton was placed in charge of the design, building and staffing of the naval sea going hospital facility RFA Argus. He spent six months in the Gulf over the duration of the war as the CO of the hospital managing casualties and as Senior Naval Medical Officer, Middle East advising Sir Peter de la Billiere and General “Stormin” Norman Schwarzkopf. For his service he was awarded the OBE.

After retirement from the Royal Navy, he was appointed to Airedale as a Consultant General Surgeon with responsibility, also, for introducing surgical undergraduate training to supplement the Professorial Units of the Medical School in Leeds. Having built up a thriving surgical practice he became involved additionally in hospital management and was part of the senior administration responsible for Airedale achieving “Small Hospital of the Year” status in the Dr. Foster Good Hospital Guide in 2005 and NHS Foundation Trust status in 2010. A national surgical examiner for 18 years and College trainer for 14 years he finally retired in 2011.

Since then, Paxton, as a member of Ilkley Golf Club, has served on Committee and been elected both Captain and President of the Club. For the last two years he has been active as a volunteer vaccinator during the Covid pandemic to help the local community.

The memoir includes happiness, sadness, success and failure. There are many humorous and moving anecdotes as well as meaningful insights into military life and hard-hitting comment on some NHS practices.

The book is available now for purchase from the Grove Bookshop in Ilkley.