Dr James Frederick Rickards
Personal Details
Dr James Frederick Rickards MB ChB MRCS LRCP FFARCS DA
Known as: Jim
21/02/1916 to 27/08/1996
Place of birth: Prestwich, Lancashire, England
Nationality: British
CRN: 535135
Education and qualifications
| General education | Medical School at Victoria University of Manchester |
|---|---|
| Primary medical qualification(s) | MB ChB, Victoria University of Manchester, 1938 MRCS Eng., LRCP Lond., 1938 |
| Initial Fellowship and type | FFARCS by Election |
| Year of Fellowship | 1953 |
| Other qualification(s) | DA (RCP&S), 1940 |
Professional life and career
Postgraduate career
After qualifying Rickards undertook house jobs at Manchester Royal Infirmary, followed by assistant medical officer at Crumpsall, Manchester. By 1940 he was Resident Anaesthetist at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading. He then joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR), serving at hospitals in Britain and attaining the rank of Squadron Leader (Specialist Anaesthetist). After demobilisation he obtained an anaesthetics post at the Royal Hospital Wolverhampton, followed by appointment there in 1950 as a Consultant Anaesthetist until his retirement in 1978.
Professional interests and activities
He was a member of the Midlands Society of Anaesthetists, serving as its President in the 1970s. In Wolverhampton he was noted for his enthusiasm as chairman of the committee for building the postgraduate medical centre at New Cross district hospital. Moreover he was an active member of the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association, becoming its President for 1977-78. Clinically he championed epidural analgesia at the Women’s Hospital (Anaesthesia 1971; 26: 507-8).
Other biographical information
He married Mary Tonge Chambers in 1945 and they had two sons and two daughters (three finding careers in medicine). He was a gifted pianist and played golf at county and regional level. On retirement he moved to Gwynedd, Wales where he enjoyed sailing and making furniture. He died at the age of 80 years, survived by his family.
Author and sources
Author:
Dr Alistair McKenzie
Sources and comments:
[1] Rickards D. Obituary James Frederick Rickards (with photograph). BMJ 1996; 313: 1396. [2] Medical Registers and Directories. [3] ancestry.co.uk