Bernard V Palmer went from Bedford School to Downing College, Cambridge, in 1963, where he read natural sciences. He was then awarded an open scholarship to the Royal London Medical School for clinical training. There he captained the tennis club, as well as playing many other sports. He was fortunate to have both his houseman posts in his teaching hospital. He then took a year out to be the first student worker for St Helen’s Bishopsgate, with the Rev Dick Lucas.

He undertook his surgical training in major London hospitals and took the exams, both to be a physician and a general surgeon. He was a senior registrar at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, and during this time, undertook research in tumour immunology at the Institute of Cancer Research. He wrote many medical papers. In 1983, he was appointed consultant surgeon at the Lister Hospital in Stevenage, where he worked until he retired. He was a general surgeon with major interests in Surgical Oncology and Gastrointestinal Surgery.

He became a convinced Christian when an undergraduate in Cambridge and has been a Bible teacher since. He has been active in the Christian Medical Fellowship and was one of their trustees for many years. He is the author of Cure for Life, which has been translated into many languages. This book was originally written for his patients to try to answer their questions about the purpose of life but has since found a world-wide niche and has been translated into many languages. He was asked to help found Christchurch Baldock, in 2000, where he regularly teaches.

He is a popular speaker in universities and churches both at home and overseas. He has written widely on the evidence for the Christian faith and what being a Christian means. He is also an evangelistic Bible teacher. He was appointed to be a visiting scholar by ‘Reasons to Believe’, in Los Angeles.

Bernard’s wife, Rosy, retired from nursing when they had a family. They have four Christian children, Rob (a general practitioner doctor in North London) Sam, (a design manager), Rachel, (a doctor and mother, married to the director of UFM, a missionary organization), and Andy, (the senior minister of Christchurch Balham, in London). Bernard and Rosy now have 14 grandchildren whom they love and long to teach both the gospel and tennis to.