In the early 20th century, maternal mortality with caesarean section was as high as 2%. Victor Bonney (1872–1953), a fellow ad eundem of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, was brave to attempt a caesarean myomectomy at that time. BJOG reported Bonney's case Figure 1, which he claimed was a first. He performed a caesarean and removed six fibroids in a 30-year-old nulliparous woman with ‘fibroids of the uterus, complicated by pregnancy’ (Bonney V. J Obstet Gynaecol Br Emp 1913;24:311–2). He also advocated trial of vaginal birth in these cases, referring to a mother who ‘safely passed through three subsequent pregnancies’ with a uterine scar. He warned of the risk of scar rupture, drawing attention to ‘faulty suturing or weak union on account of sepsis’. Proud of his achievement, he subsequently presented the caesarean myomectomy case at the Royal Society of Medicine (Bonney V. Proc R Soc Med 1914;7:121–3). Fast forward a hundred years. Today caesareans are safe, even available on demand. Myomectomy at caesareans is rare, and is only carried out by senior surgeons in exceptional cases (Rich DA et al. BJOG 2002;109:105–6). Caesarean rates have skyrocketed, and many professional organisations have issued guidelines to reduce their use. Trials of vaginal birth are promoted after caesarean delivery. Even though low transverse uterine incisions have replaced the more risky vertical incisions originally used, rupture of the uterine caesarean scar in a subsequent pregnancy remains its most serious complication. Making trial of vaginal birth after caesarean safer and understanding reasons for its failure are the current questions our profession faces. In this BJOG issue, a cohort study of 75 086 women attempting vaginal birth after caesarean (Knight H et al. BJOG 2014;121:133–42) shows a two-thirds success rate, and repetition of caesarean during this trial is found to be associated with a history of emergency caesarean, in particular after a failed induction of labour. See the editors' profiles on www.BJOG.org.