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I speak as a friend and former colleague of this humble Giant, Thomas Scott Wilson, known to us all as TOM, who recently died, aged 89 years.

He started life just south of the border in County Monaghan, but crossed the border to be raised and educated in Belfast.

He was the youngest of five sons - his father was a headmaster, and mother a schoolteacher. Each of his brothers achieved excellence in their respective fields as did Tom, as I shall illuminate.

He qualified from Queen's University, Belfast in 1940. He was not just a keen tennis player, but distinguished himself to become Captain of Tennis at Queen's.

Beth and Tom married in 1941 and remained happily married until she sadly predeceased him a short while ago.

He leaves and was extremely proud of the achievements of his 4 children, Paul, the eldest, now retired from Telecommunications; Graham, a Chemical Engineer currently working in Beijing; Jackie, trained as a Teacher, ran her own nursery school until recently and now enjoys life playing golf – a subject also close to Tom’s heart having been captain of Truro Golf Club. And last but not least Liz, who works locally as a Manager of a Large General Practice in Truro, and to whom I owe the honour of asking me to eulogise on my old friend and colleague.

He was on active service during the war in the Royal Air Force as a Squadron Leader and Medical Officer as far afield as Burma and Singapore

After demobilisation, he returned initially to Belfast, but found the atmosphere stifling and moved to London. By happy chance he became Medical Officer at St John's Hospital, Battersea 1946-48 - it was at this time he met up with Trevor Howell who had been awarded a grant to establish a geriatric research unit. They became friends, and much influenced by another founder member of the specialty - Marjory Warren who encouraged his interest in rehabilitation. Tom became increasingly interested in aspects of what is now known as ‘Geriatric Medicine’, particularly incontinence in the elderly – an unpopular, embarrassing condition, but he was able to stimulate interest and help alleviate a common, distressing problem, and most importantly, prove that it could be reversible.

His ground-breaking research – in which he had to develop and even create his own apparatus – led to him publishing in the Lancet and being awarded an MD from Belfast University.

He was approached by Dr Charles Andrews, a visionary physician at the City Infirmary, Truro in the year of the inception of the NHS in 1948 – and became – after a delay occasioned by the British Medical Journal being unable to know what category the advertisement for a Consultant in ‘Geriatric Medicine’ should be placed - the first Geriatrician to be appointed in the NHS in the country, here in Cornwall. He held this post from 1948 until June 1981 when he retired.

I was appointed a short while before – much attracted by the department that Tom had created, and the colleagues with whom he worked – Eric Morton, Jimmie Donovan, Mabel Andrews, Margaret Balsillie, Inge Williams, Roger Indge, Charles Moon, Denise Russell, to name but a few. He had worked hard to establish a unit at Treliske, that opened a year or so later.

In addition to being so innovative in geriatric rehabilitation and incontinence, he also virtually invented the specialty of psychogeriatrics – mental health problems being so important in old age - and did, in 1968 with the aid of a certain Minister for Health, rather better known for some of his other achievements, Enoch Powell - open the first psychogeriatic unit in the country which he generously named after one of his mentors – the same Dr Charles Andrews.

He had a reputation well outside of Cornwall, serving on various National and Regional Committees including being Chairman of the very influential Regional Medical Committee

He was a founder member of the Medical Society for the Care of the Elderly, which became the British Geriatrics Society, for which he was the Treasurer. He was the youngest of the 8 doctors who founded this specialist society that now has nearly 2,500 members.

For his enormous achievements he was awarded the prestigious BGS President’s medal in 1995 at a meeting here in Cornwall

Tom was not just a far sighted doctor, he enjoyed many his leisure pursuits. He was a member of Falmouth Tennis Club, playing at club level for many years. He was Captain of Truro Golf Club, a game he enjoyed in this country and on numerous holidays in the Algarve. He shared a love of sailing with his two sons, competing in the Flying 15 Classes regularly at Restronguet Sailing Club and in his later years made very fine models of sailing vessels.

He was an inspirational man, whose reputation was widely known, and who received frequent visitors from far and wide to see his achievements. These were balanced by a very human, humane, witty, and humourous character. I will never forget our Friday lunchtime X-ray meetings which were lubricated by at least one tumbler full of sherry, after which he would drive off into the wilderness to perform another domiciliary visit. He never wrote letters, but had a very able memory, despite the ravages of sherry and cigarettes, to which he was clearly immune. I well recall his manner of holding a partly consumed ciggie in the palm of his hand as he escorted yet another dignatory down the corridor of the hospital.

I can bring breaking news. The hospital in which he worked (formerly Barncoose – now Camborne Redruth) has agreed to name a unit in which people prepare for their homegoing as The Wilson Suite, a fitting tribute to this great man – and, it should be noted that this is, appropriately, the best room in the hospital!

He will be missed, but fondly remembered.

Doug MacMahon