Reginald Arnold Elson was the founding father of EHS. In 1992 he was asked by the President (Michael Freeman) and the Secretary (Jacques Duparc) of the Congress Board of the European Federation of Orthopaedics to form a European Society for Surgery of the Hip. The European Hip Society was founded in Hamburg on Saturday the 17^th of October 1992 and the Founder Members decided upon a Constitution.

 

Reginald Arnold Elson died peacefully at his home at 2 a.m. on 22nd October 2025.

A gifted man, he was driven in both his professional and personal life.

Born in 1930, Reg Elson FRCS was a British orthopaedic surgeon who played a significant role in the development of hip and knee replacement techniques.

He was educated at East Ham Grammar School, now known as Langdon School in Newham, formerly East Ham Grammar School for Boys.

He studied at Cambridge University, graduating in 1954. After further training as an orthopaedic trauma surgeon at the London Hospital, he was appointed to a position at the Northern General Hospital in Sheffield in 1967. From 1977, he spent a period working at the EndoKlinik in Hamburg, before returning to Sheffield.

He held several other positions in Sheffield, including:

• Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon Emeritus at the Northern General Hospital, where he had previously been in charge of the Accident and Emergency Department from 1967 until 1983.
• Clinical Teacher in Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Sheffield.
• Honorary Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Sheffield.

A founder of the Cavendish Hip Fellowship Trust, he also served as President of the British Hip Society from 1994 to 1996, and of the European Hip Society, which he also helped to establish. Reginald Elson was invited by the President, Michael Freeman, and the Secretary, Jacques Duparc, of the Congress Board of the European Federation of Orthopaedics to assist in forming a European Society for Surgery of the Hip.

Of note was a translation into English of the book Fractures of the Acetabulum by Emile Letournel and Robert Judet, pioneering French orthopaedists in acetabular surgery. The work remains a substantial and detailed reference. He also translated The Foot: Pathology, Aetiology, Semiology, Clinical Investigation and Therapy by Bernard Regnauld.

Outside of his professional life, he supported entrepreneurial businesspeople such as Stewart Wright, contributing to the establishment of the Wright Engineering Group of Companies. Founded in 1986, Wright Engineering has built a strong reputation for the design, manufacture, installation, and commissioning of innovative materials handling solutions — from concept through to realisation.

He also established a scuba diving school in Gozo (Malta), providing student accommodation for those interested in diving.

Reg was a talented musician who played both the piano and the organ. He made several recordings on a Viscount electronic organ, and although he once considered a musical career, he recognised it might not offer a reliable livelihood.

A practical man, he was known for his ability to mend and build almost anything.

Later in life, he took up sailing and achieved Yachtmaster status, helping to run a sailing school in Mevagissey with his friend Roy Gent.

He was also a respected swimmer at Worksop Baths, regularly swimming 30 lengths — even as recently as January this year. He was a well-loved and humorous presence in a local exercise class, made up mostly of ladies.