Martyn Webster obituary
My twin brother, Martyn Webster, who has died aged 86, was influential in the development of microsurgery both in the UK and internationally,In 1971 he joined the Canniesburn regional plastic surgery unit at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, one of the UK’s most respected centres for reconstructive surgery, with an international reputation as a centre of excellence, and in 1976 he became a consultant and senior lecturer there,His clinical experience covered a wide range of reconstructive procedures, especially microsurgery, head and neck surgery, hand surgery and breast reconstruction,He was a founding member of the early microsurgical societies – including the Microsurgery Travelling Club (1977) and the British Microsurgical Society (1981),He developed and directed training courses in microsurgery, and in 1986 published Free Tissue Transfer, one of the earliest books on the subject.
Martyn and I were born in Glasgow, sons of Sheila (nee MacLennan) and Gordon Webster,Our father and paternal grandfather were both stained-glass artists,Martyn was educated at Glasgow academy and Rugby school, and studied medicine at Glasgow University, graduating in 1963,In 1964 he married Shery Rogers, whose brothers Tony and Keith studied with him there,During his time as a student, Martyn also had a job as a lamplighter in the Partick area of Glasgow, finding that the limited hours did not impact on his studies or social life.
After graduation he worked in pathology at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, then started his formal training as a surgeon in 1968, and joined the Canniesburn unit three years later.He was an excellent teacher and a distinguished lecturer, and his expertise was appreciated all over the world.He was president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons in 1994-95, and president of the European Association of Plastic Surgeons in 2000-01.From the early 1990s onwards he also worked in west Africa with ReSurge Africa, a charity focused on training local doctors in reconstructive surgical techniques, and was the director there from 2011-22.He saw this as the long-term solution to medical problems in the region, rather than short-term visiting teams.
He led the development of the burns unit at the Korle-Bu hospital in Accra, Ghana, and he also set up a similar unit in Sierra Leone,Although he retired from the NHS in 2006, he continued to work in west Africa until 2021,Martyn was a keen sailor, owning several classic keelboats,His considerable efforts to save the Scottish Islander class are documented in a 2023 book by his friend Ewan Kennedy,He promoted the pleasure of sailing, rather than a single-minded determination to win, although he could also be competitive.
(It was said that he knew every rock on the Scottish west coast, as he had hit most of them.)Martyn’s eldest daughter, Amanda, died aged seven.He is survived by Shery and their three other children, Emma-Jo, Toby and Timothy, seven grandchildren, and me.
Art and antiques help lift retail sales in Great Britain to biggest monthly rise since 2024
Retail sales in Great Britain rose 1.8% in January, the largest monthly increase in almost two years, according to official data, as heavy discounting and post-Christmas sales drew consumers back to bigger ticket purchases.The rise easily beat forecasts of a 0.2% rise and was partly driven by sales of artwork and antiques sales in January, alongside continued strong sales from online jewellers, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. It was the biggest monthly rise since May 2024
France and Germany agreed to build the fighter jet of the future. Now they can’t agree who is in charge
France and Germany’s plan to build a fighter jet of the future, planned to come with a swarm of drones and a “combat communications cloud”, is collapsing.Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, said this week that the €100bn programme no longer worked for him. He insisted it was “not a political dispute”, but a technical one. France needs a jet that can carry nuclear weapons and launch from aircraft carriers, while Germany does not. However, the problems go back much further
Are you sitting uncomfortably? | Letter
Creating a network of public seating at regular intervals can hugely increase the independent mobility of people who need to sit and rest frequently. This sometimes means bench positioning can mystify those who don’t actually need them (Emma Beddington, 16 February).But sometimes, complainants are just plain mischievous. I was involved in improvements in the heart of Windermere, Cumbria, a few years back, when a complaint was made that a bench facing a butcher’s shop window “may distress vegetarians”. In truth, of course, the bench was very much welcomed – especially by those needing to rest their plates of meat
UK manufacturing still beset by low orders and price pressure, says CBI
British manufacturing orders remain well below average and price pressure continues to persist, according to a closely watched survey.The CBI industrial trends survey found that manufacturers’ orders for the month were below average in February, while most firms expected to raise their prices and for output to decline over the next three months.The survey compiled by the Confederation of British Industry adds to a mixed picture for the UK economy since the start of the year. Households are feeling “dismal” about their finances, while companies have been cutting staff amid rising cost pressures. However, some business surveys have suggested a rise in optimism among companies since the start of the year after uncertainty over the government’s autumn budget lifted
Oil prices rise amid fears of US strikes on Iran – as it happened
Oil prices are on the rise as traders react to growing concerns that the US could launch military action against Iran.Both the US and Iran embark on military posturing despite trying to de-escalate a standoff over Tehran’s nuclear programme.Brent crude is up 1.55% at $71.44 a barrelWTI is up 1
Is Tim Wilson an ‘inflation nutter’? Why the new shadow treasurer’s RBA comments are making waves
There was good news on Thursday.Another solid month of jobs growth left the unemployment rate steady at 4.1% in January.The impressive resilience of Australia’s jobs market has been the positive story of the post-pandemic economy.We have come out the other side of the global health crisis and a once-in-a-generation inflationary event with a jobless rate that has tracked consistently one percentage point below where it was through the dog days of the late 2010s
Colbert on RFK Jr’s Maha workout video: ‘Senior softcore that feels like dropping acid’
Colbert on Trump’s Epstein ties: ‘Apparently he does not know the meaning of exonerated’
‘He invented a style’: war chronicler Robert Capa refashioned himself and revolutionised photography
Australian screen industry crushed as Universal shutters Matchbox Pictures, with 30 jobs lost
Javier Bardem and Tilda Swinton among those to condemn Berlinale’s ‘silence’ on Gaza
Colbert on Kristi Noem: ‘Everyone can’t wait to tell a reporter how awful you are’