Sydney Charles Sandifer

Former general practitioner Mombasa, Kenya, and occupational physician Greater London Council (b Walthamstow 1920; q the London Hospital 1942), d 23 January 2003.

After completing house jobs at the London he entered the Royal Navy as a surgeon lieutenant and was later posted to Mombasa. There he met and married his wife, Mim. At the end of the war, on demobilisation and further house jobs at Queen Charlotte’s Hospital, he returned to Mombasa to join Dr Pilkington, who retired soon afterwards. He went on to build up the practice and within 10 years had several partners. He was an excellent doctor with an enormous capacity for hard work and achieved a very considerable reputation.

He maintained his links with the navy and early on was appointed admiralty surgeon and agent for Mombasa, a role he much enjoyed. After nearly 30 years he and his family left Kenya in 1976 and he joined the Greater London Council in the occupational health department, where he worked until retirement. Sadly, he was widowed shortly after returning to Britain, and he leaves a son, two daughters, and nine grandchildren. [Jon Sandifer, Geoffrey Cunningham]