Dr Douglas Waddell Jolly was born in Cromwell, Central Otago, in 1904. He graduated from Otago Medical School in 1930, and worked as a house surgeon at hospitals in Dunedin and Wellington. In 1932, Jolly left for London to become a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS). Prior to sitting his final examination in 1936, he decided to join the medical services of the International Brigades and left for Spain. The Spanish Civil War was fought from 1936 to 1939, beginning as a military revolt against the elected Republican government of Spain. Jolly was given the rank of lieutenant, initially leading a 50-bed surgical unit. During this time, he developed the Mobile Surgical team and the three-points-forward triage system, allowing them to operate close to the front lines. The overarching goal was to ensure the wounded received appropriate emergency surgery within five hours. This was achieved using camouflaged tents, caves, railway tunnels, and mobile operating theatres known as ‘autochirs’. Jolly was described as one of the most skilled surgeons in the Republican-held Spain, working tirelessly to ensure a high standard of care for the wounded. The International Brigades suffered enormous casualties and were ultimately withdrawn in 1938. Jolly described his experiences in ‘Field Surgery in Total War’, published in 1940. This became a critical guide for British, American, and New Zealand surgeons during subsequent wars. Jolly returned to civilian practice in the UK in 1945, and rose to become Medical Superintendent of Queen Mary’s Hospital in London.