After leaving school he worked for a short time in the Chemistry Dept at Birmingham University under Prof Maurice Stacey.
He joined the MRC Industrial Medicine Unit at the Acci late in 1947 as a microbiologist under the direction of Dr John Squires (later professor)
Co-author on over 60 publications
Gained associate of the Institute for Laboratory Sciences in 1951 and was awarded fellowship in 1957
In 1955 he became a fellow of the Royal Microscopical Society
With Prof Lowbury they devised the Lilley and Lowbury culture medium for anaerobic infections
From 1960 he largely organised the bacteriological laboratory at the Accident Hospital, becoming the chief research officer-one of only 2 employed by the MRC.
1961 he became a member of the Royal Society of Health; more recently he was elected as a Chartered Biologist and awarded Membership of the Institute of Biology – This is normally only gained by examination and is recognised to be the equivalent of an honours degree
Apart from training numerous new entrants to the laboratory he lectures to various courses at Birmingham polytechnic and the Matthew Boulton College
His interest in skin disinfectants lasted until the hospital closed in 1993
Harold featured as author or co-author in 91 publications.
Lilley gained international recognition for his research in the topical treatment of burns, cross infection, and disinfection.
In 1985, Lilley was awarded membership of the Institute of Biology- a qualification equivalent to an honours degree and rarely given on merit alone
0ther academic interests include active membership of the British Burn Association including winning the “best paper award” (now re-named the Cason Prize) in 1981 and also membership of the Hospital infection Society
In 1977 he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal for Services to Medical Research
Harold Lilly worked with many distinguished persons including Leonard Colebrook, John Squire, John Bull and Edward Lowbury
Harold had many interests outside medicine. Rugby was the love of his youth, abandoned in 195when he joined the blood transfusion rota often on call for 24 hours and over weekends
Lilley enjoyed cordon bleu cooking, was a keen photographer. A numismatist, philatelist and had a great interest in the history of medicine and was a founding member of the Birmingham Society for the history of medicine.
Harold died on the 3rd July 2007. He was survived by his wife, Yvonne, and their son.