About

• Summary:
   

  Having qualified as a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1913 John was appointed as a House Surgeon at St Bartholomew’s. On the outbreak of war, he joined the Royal Army Medical Corps where he served throughout the hostilities. Returning to Kidderminster after the war, he followed his grandfather and father as Honorary Surgeon in the Infirmary. John was a highly skilled surgeon who, when he died in dramatic circumstances whilst presenting awards to nurses at the hospital in 1952, brought to an end almost 100 years of Stretton surgeons in Kidderminster.

• Archive link: Link to John's documents and images
• No of documents: 76
• No of Images: 10
• No of photo albums: 5
• No of media files: 2
• Born: Thursday, 21 June 1888
• Birthplace: Kidderminster, Worcestershire
• Died: Saturday, 27 September 1952
• Bio:

   

  Family
  The third child of John Lionel Stretton and Lucy Emma, John, known to the family as Jack, followed his father and grandfather, becoming a surgeon in Kidderminster. Marrying Mary Smellie in 1923, they had three sons, Lionel James, Antony John and Robert Houghton. Lionel James followed in the family medical tradition, qualifying a General Practitioner at St Bartholomew’s Hospital.

  Early days
  Not much is known about John’s early days. Photographs show that the family enjoyed holdiays in North Wales and he was a keen sportsman, which continued through his university days. Growing up in 27 Church Street, not only the family home but also his father’s surgery, John will have have seen much of the medical way of life, which, undoubtedly encouraged by his father, will have catalysed his desire to maintain the family tradition. Daisy, his sister, three years his senior, trained as a Dispenser in London and returned to help her father in his practice for a time.

  Education
  John was educated at Malvern College, Caius College, Cambridge and St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London. Qualifying as M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P. on 13 November 1913. Unlike his father, who decided to forego the pleasures of sport in order to concentrate on his studies, John was able to enjoy both. He was fond of outdoor sports and played football for his school, College, Corintihians and for England. He was elected as a member of Cambridge’s Hawks Club. Later, he was an accomplished tennis player.

  On 9 December 1920 John was elected as a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons.

  Career
  Having qualified at St Bartholomew's in 1913 John was serving as a House Surgeon when war began in 1914. He joined the Royal Army Medical Corps as a Captain and served throughout the war.

  Returning to Kidderminster in 1919 he practised at 50 Bewdley Road, and was appointed in 1920 Honorary Surgeon to the Infirmary, now the Kidderminster and District General Hospital, and two years later also became Honorary Surgeon to the Guest Hospital, Dudley. He was particularly interested in traumatic surgery, and did original work in his treatment of inguinal and femoral hernia; for the former he modified Bassini's method,  making use of silk nets specially woven by his wife, and for the latter he devised a special needle. See his paper here.

  Notable aspects
  In addition to the hernia treatment that he refined, John was instrumental in adopting new technologies for his patients. Including radium treatment for cancer. In 1934 The Lancet published details of John’s Catgut Forceps invention.

  John was energetic in medical societies and committees, serving periods as Chairman of the Medical Committee of both his hospitals, as President of the Kidderminster Medical Society in 1945 and as member of the Executive Committee of the Worcester and Bromsgrove Division of the B.M.A.

  "Mr John", as he was always called, naturally took his place in the public life of Kidderminster; he served as District Commissioner of Boy Scouts for more than ten years, and was keenly interested in the welfare of all connected with the Hospital.

  Despite all his public focus, John was very much a family man, recording the children growing up through photographs and cine film. He cleary had a good sense of humour can be seen in the short home movie of the family at the pool on this page.  Holidays were important: towing a newly acquired caravan in the early 1930s, John arrived at Moel-y-Berth farm at Llangwnadl where the farmer allowed him to park up. This was the start of the caravan and campsite that is still there. If you look on top of the flat rock on the bottom on the right of the beach slipway you can still see cement, put there by John to secure the tent that they pitched there.

  Death
  On 27th September 1952 John was on stage at Kidderminster Hospital where he had just finished presenting awards and certificates to nurses when he collapsed and died.

  John’s funeral was help at St John’s Church, where he was a Sidesman and regular worshipper, preceding cremation at Perry Barr. Nearly one thousand people attended the service, showing the esteem in which he was held locally.

• Place of Death: Kidderminster, Worcestershire
• Marriage Date: Wednesday, 25 April 1923
• Father: John Lionel Stretton
• Mother: Lucy Emma Stretton (Née Houghton)
• Sibling-1: Rosa Marguerite Stretton
• Sibling-2: Samuel Houghton Stretton
• Child 1: Lionel James Stretton
• Child 2: Antony John Stretton
• Child 3: Robert Houghton Stretton