David Sydney Halpin was born in Lyndhurst in the New Forest. He was educated at Shaftesbury Grammar School as a boarder from 1953-58.
A countryman at heart, but he chose medicine as his career and qualified MB BS in 1963 at St Mary’s Hospital, London, where his first house job was with Professor Peart. His second house job was at Paddington General under Mr Stephens.
He was married in 1961 to Susan, a nurse, with 4 more years of clinical training ahead, which included teaching anatomy at King’s College and a 2-year surgical rotation in Bristol.
Despite a busy surgical career he had a very full family life, he and Sue adopting two children as babies – Andrew and Fiona - and fostering 12 children between the ages of 6 days and 16 years.
Rowing was his main hobby, so living in a flat at Kew Bridge was convenient for the rowing club, with regular regattas, including Henley.
In 1969 he obtained the FRCS and moved to the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital doing General Surgery but changed to Orthopaedics on a 4-year rotation at the Princess Elizabeth Orthopaedic Hospital.
There followed a 6 month appointment in 1974 with Professor Mankin at Massachussets General in the USA, doing research on cartilage and teaching Harvard students. And the following year he was appointed Consultant at Princess Elizabeth Orthopaedic Hospital and Torbay Hospital.
A further trip abroad entailed a 6 month exchange with Don Jones in Christchurch, New Zealand, and other trips with the British Orthopaedic Association and British Orthopaedic Travel Association.
Later, he was on the editorial board of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery and in 1992, on semi-retirement, he held clinics in 5 local GP surgeries whilst continuing his own private practice. He also continued doing THRs and TKRs on the waiting list initiative scheme in Exeter.
After settling in Devon he was able to enjoy more countryside activities, acquiring 35 acres of neglected land and planting 12,000 mixed woodland trees. He built a shepherd’s hut, reared 40 Polled Dorset ewes and raised 80 lambs yearly. Also a few South Devon cows and their offspring. He was a member of Devon Rural Skills Trust and demonstrated ash hay-rake and besom making, finally forming a Trust of his woodland which he registered with the Charity Commission.
On full retirement he and Sue moved to Dartmoor and he became passionate about the fate of Palestinians, some of whom David had worked with.
In 2003 he chartered a ship to take flour, cheese, oil, honey, bales of wool, donated clothing and bedding to Gaza. This was followed by ten more visits, including two with his wife, Sue. He was a great campaigner for the underdog and was frequently asked to support a cause.
That same year, he, and three other doctors, mounted a legal case to request a full inquest into the death of Dr David Kelly.
A staunch advocate for the NHS, including community hospitals, he stood as an Independent candidate for Newton Abbot in the 2019 General Election.
His future plans included using his woodland to instruct youngsters in countryside skills and offering peace and sanctuary to those suffering from the stresses of today’s busy world.
He hoped to do this for many more years to come, but sadly died from bladder carcinomatosis on 14thAugust 2026, just 2 weeks before his and Sue’s 65thwedding anniversary.
