Charles John Henry Bland
Charles John Henry Bland
Charles was a talented and respected radiologist with a broad diagnostic practice who, in his early days as a consultant, showed his skill in intervention, especially in uroradiology. In recent years his main interests were gastrointestinal radiology and uroradiology and he was a popular and wise contributor at Gastrointestinal and Genitourinary Multidisciplinary Team meetings (MDT) and also at the Care of the Elderly MDT.
08 July 1954 to 27 December 2012
For all his clinical skills, Charles will be remembered most for his personal qualities. His charm, his sense of humour, his kindness to patients, colleagues and all members of staff never failed him. He cheerfully accepted referrals, whether from consultants or junior doctors, including calls at night and at other difficult times often sending the referrer off happily with an encouraging “right you are!”
Charles was brought up in Suffolk, his parents’ house having beautiful views over the Stour estuary and although he lived in London he retained very strong connections with the county throughout his life. He was nimble but was not particularly fond of sport with the exception of tennis which he played with an idiosyncratic but effective style. He went to Eton where his academic achievements grew especially in the sciences. Before going to Magdalene College Cambridge to study Medicine he went, in a Land Rover, on an intrepid overland tour of Afghanistan with three friends. He arrived home safely but thereafter, he was never particularly fond of “roughing it” and instead he developed a keen interest in wine and food. He enjoyed university to the full and was famous for eating a large array of wallflowers one evening to no ill effect other than a significant dent in Magdalene’s pristine court garden!
His undergraduate training continued at St Bartholomew’s Hospital. After house jobs at Bart’s and Ipswich he trained in Radiology on the St George’s Hospital training scheme in London and was appointed a consultant in Guildford in 1988.
Charles was a family man. He married whilst a radiological registrar in 1986 and had a very happy marriage. He is survived by his wife Mardie and by his daughter Olivia who is currently at university in Newcastle.
His great warmth and effortless, endless charm resulted in a wide and large circle of friends who he maintained throughout his life and he is greatly missed.
Charles drowned whilst on a family holiday in Sri Lanka.
Memoir author: Terry Bloomberg
