BAKEWELL, ROBERT HALL (1831-1908) was born in Manchester, the son of a Congregational minister. On completing his surgical course at Guy's Hospital, London, he took his M.D. degree at St Andrews University. He later became a member of the Royal College of Surgeons (England), and L.S.A. (London). In 1852 he joined the Army Medical Corps and spent two years in the Crimea during the war, from which he was invalided. For the following five years he served as medical officer in Trinidad. After practising in London for a few months he came to New Zealand in 1873, where he practised in Dunedin, Ross and Hokitika before settling in Auckland (1888). In the South African war (1899-1901) he served as medical officer to a New Zealand contingent. Bakewell was a frequent contributor to the medical press and was the New Zealand correspondent of one of the American medical journals. He wrote on the female franchise question in New Zealand and in 1894 carried on in English reviews a controversy with Mrs H. Fawcett. He died on 26 Dec 1908.

His son, FREDERICK Hastan BAKEWELL (1858-1935), was a graduate of the New Zealand University (M.A., 1896) and a prominent educationist. He was senior inspector of schools for some years and a member of the senate of the University of New Zealand, the Council of Education and the Victoria College council.

Cycl. N.Z., ii; Fulton (p); Who's Who N.Z., 1908, 1932; N.Z. Herald, 9 Jun 1894; N.Z. Graphic, 26 Sep 1891; Auckland Star, 28 Dec 1908.

Reference: Volume 1, page 31

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