Kanaar, Adrian C.

Medical student at St Bartholomew’s Hospital and lives Annerley Park in London.

Dr. Kanaar was a British-born and -trained surgeon who served as a Captain in the Royal Army Medical Corps during World War II, in France and Belgium up to the retreat at Dunkirk, in various battlefield locations after D-day, and in Berlin during the occupation. Born Beckenham, Kent, to an oyster and fish wholesaler.

Adrian Charles Kanaar, MD, MRCP (London), FRCS (Edinburgh) (1911-1993) qualified M.B. at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, London, in 1934, received a B.S. from London University in 1936, had surgical training at Edinburgh University, and was awarded the M.D. from the British Postgraduate Medical School in 1939. That year he was called to active service with the Royal Army Medical Corps and was active in France and Belgium through the retreat at Dunkirk; he returned to the Continent after D-Day and served in various stations, including occupied Berlin. On special leave in 1942 in the U.S., Captain Kanaar began a series of talks about his war experiences, wanting to foster Anglo-American cooperation and to clear up what he felt were misconceptions about the war and about the British.

In about 1948 he and his wife and son emigrated to Eastern Canada where he practiced orthopedic surgery and physical medicine. In 1959 he moved to Buffalo, NY, to become Director of Physical Medicine, Department of Public Health, and Associate Professor at the University of Buffalo Medical School. In 1964, the year he became a US citizen, the family moved to Poughkeepsie, NY, where he maintained a private practice in physical medicine and rehabilitation until his retirement in 1984.

He made two attempts to swim the English Channel, coming within a mile and a half of his goal; at age 74, he swam the 28.5 miles around New York City’s Manhattan Island. He stated that the Channel swims were motivated by the wish to demonstrate that a dedicated Christian could also be an athlete and a strong individual. After the death of his wife of 47 years, Dr. Kanaar retired and moved to Pacific Palisades, California. There he met and married Margaret H. Jones, MD in 1989.