Nicholls, Marriott Fawckner

Born in London on 12th May 1898, the son of Marriott Edwin Nicholls. Educated at the City of London School, Clare College, Cambridge and St George's Hospital. His undergraduate studies were interrupted by the first world war, during which he enlisted with the Royal Fusiliers at the age of seventeen and served with them from 1915-1919. After demobilization in 1919 with the rank of Captain, he returned to his studies at Cambridge and graduated BA in 1921. For his clinical work he entered St George's Hospital qualifying with the Conjoint Diploma in 1923. He took FRCS in 1926, graduated BCh two years later and obtained the MChir in 1932. While at St George's he was awarded the Allingham Scholarship in surgery in 1925 and the Sir Francis Laking Research Scholarship in 1928-29 and again in 1929-30. He held the usual junior surgical appointments including that of assistant curator of the Museum.

In 1932 he was appointed to the consultant staff of St George's Hospital. He was also consultant to the Royal Chest and the Belgrave Children's Hospitals, and general surgeon to the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital. Later his interests centered on genito-urinary surgery and he served on the Council of the British Association of Urological Surgeons, and later President of the Section of Urology of the Royal Society of Medicine in 1960-61.

He was Dean of the Medical School from 1936-1956. His work as Dean was interrupted by the outbreak of second world war and he left his hospital career to serve in the RAMC 1940-1946, first as Lieutenant-Colonel in charge of a surgical division, stationed for some time at Freetown, and later as Brigadier and consultant to the 14th Army, South-East Asia Command. He was appointed CBE in 1946. On demobilization he returned to his duties as Dean and surgeon to the hospital.

In 1946 he found a position in which the future of school and hospital were both uncertain. A new site for the rebuilding of the hospital was bring sought and was finally designated by the Ministry of Health at Tooting in South London. The new project however, had to be phased, and the site being some distance from the parent hospital at Hyde Park Corner presented problems of transport and accommodation for the students and of a division of duties for the teachers. He played an invaluable part in overcoming these difficulties. Synchronously he pursued a policy of academic development within the school. In this sphere he was the driving force behind the gradual evolution of a series of new university departments and their associated academic staffs, appointments which were later to become chairs, first in pathology and its allied subjects, and afterwards in medicine and surgery.

In 1956 he relinquished his office as Dean and became the first director of the surgical unit.

At the Royal College of Surgeons he was a Member, and for two years Chairman, of the Court of Examiners.

In 1962 at the age of sixty-four he started a new career as professor of surgery in the University of Khartoum. He was knighted in 1969. He died in Khartoum from coronary thrombosis on 25th August 1969, at the age of seventy-one.

Royal College of Surgeons