A DOCTOR who fled Nazi Germany to become one of the UK’s leading pathologists has died at the age of 94.

Dr Gerhard Behr worked in Burnley for 18 years as a consultant in pathology, and his model for sterilising dressings, theatres and operating equipment was adopted at hospitals throughout the UK.

East Lancashire hospital bosses have described him as an “extraordinary man.”

The son of a Jewish man, Dr Behr had already trained as a doctor when he arrived in England from his home city of Kiel, Germany, in 1934, at the age of 20, to escape persecution.

After more training and work at hospitals in London, Kent and Coventry, Dr Behr arrived at Burnley General Hospital in 1946, where he met his wife Bernice, known as Bunny, working as a staff nurse.

The couple lived in Reedley, and had two children, David and Susan.

David said: “Dad was the bricks and mortar of our family, he held everything together.”

A keen reader and speaker of five languages, Dr Behr continued to work as a pathologist for four years after his retirement in 1963, helping found the hospital’s postgraduate training programme at the MacKenzie Centre.

Marie Burnham, chief executive of East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust said: “We were very sorry to hear of Dr Gerhard Behr’s passing and our thoughts are with his family.

“Dr Behr was an extraordinary man who is an integral part of the culture and history of our hospitals. His reputation for progressive thinking and scientific innovation grew as he pioneered a revolutionary sterilising system, and Dr Behr continued to lead the way in an NHS which constantly evolves.

“I know that Dr Behr kept a keen interest in medicine and his local hospital long after his retirement.

“He adapted to the decades of change within the NHS, saw opportunities to improve things for our patients and passed on his invaluable knowledge and skills to his colleagues. He is an inspiration to all of us and I will ensure his legacy lives on for a very long time.”

Dr Behr leaves his two children, and grand-children Lucy, Amy, David and Harriet.

His funeral will be held today at Burnley Crematorium at 10.40am.

Donations may be made to The World Wide Fund for Nature or RSPB, c/o Co-operative Funeral-care, 18-20 Colne Road, Brierfield, BB9 5NS, or call 01282 619966.