Who should be president ?

The six-man committee of second-generation British Plastic Surgeons chosen in 1944 to develop Harold Gillies idea of putting together a “Plastic Club” had a dilemma. Who should be the first president?

There were two obvious choices. The acknowledged leaders of the profession and the first two of only four plastic surgeons in the UK at the start of the second world war, Sir Harold Gillies, and the man he had trained at Sidcup, now Professor, Thomas Pomfret Kilner.

The group - Percy Jayes, James Cuthbert, Emlyn Lewis, Peter Reidy, Rowland Osborne and John Barron as Secretary, had to come up with not only a draft constitution for the new organization, but also to choose an appropriate name and first President. All without upsetting their superiors, who at that time could wield considerable influence upon their future careers. They realized too late that with a committee of six members, any vote could be equally split, without easy resolution.

Their worst dilemma became the issue who sholud be the first President. Three voted for Gillies, three for Kilner. Both men were approached about a joint Presidency, which they separately rejected. Gillies recommended Kilner as the only Professor of plastic surgery. Kilner accepted the idea of a joint presidency. To break the deadlock Barron was dispatched to discuss the matter with effectively the third-ranked plastic surgeon in the country, Archibald McIndoe. He had no hesitation in recommending Gillies be the nominee. 

At its inaugural meeting on 20th November 1946 in the Royal College of Surgeons of England, Sir Harold Gillies (seemn here on the right), still the UK’s foremost Plastic Surgeon, was installed as first President of the then British Association of Plastic Surgeons.