HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Guinea Pig Club, established in 1941, was a social club and mutual support network for British and allied
aircrew Aircrew are personnel who operate an aircraft while in flight. The composition of a flight's crew depends on the type of aircraft, plus the flight's duration and purpose. Commercial aviation Flight deck positions In commercial aviatio ...
injured during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. Its membership was made up of patients of
Archibald McIndoe Sir Archibald Hector McIndoe (4 May 1900 – 11 April 1960) was a New Zealand plastic surgeon who worked for the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. He improved the treatment and rehabilitation of badly burned aircrew. Early life Arc ...
in Ward III at
Queen Victoria Hospital The Queen Victoria Hospital (QVH), located in East Grinstead, West Sussex, England is the specialist reconstructive surgery centre for the south east of England, and also provides services at clinics across the region. It has become world-famo ...
,
East Grinstead East Grinstead () is a town in West Sussex, England, near the East Sussex, Surrey, and Kent borders, south of London, northeast of Brighton, and northeast of the county town of Chichester. Situated in the northeast corner of the county, bord ...
, Sussex, who had undergone experimental reconstructive plastic surgery, including
facial reconstruction Oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) is a surgical specialty focusing on reconstructive surgery of the face, facial trauma surgery, the mouth, head and neck, and jaws, as well as facial plastic surgery including cleft lip and cleft palate s ...
, generally after receiving burns injuries in aircraft. The club remained active after the end of the war, and its annual reunion meetings continued until 2007.


Name

The name "
Guinea Pig The guinea pig or domestic guinea pig (''Cavia porcellus''), also known as the cavy or domestic cavy ( ), is a species of rodent belonging to the genus ''Cavia'', family Caviidae. Animal fancy, Breeders tend to use the name "cavy" for the ani ...
" – the rodent species commonly used as a laboratory test subject – was chosen to reflect the experimental nature of the techniques and equipment used for reconstructive work at East Grinstead. The treatment of burns by surgery was in its infancy, and many casualties were suffering from injuries which, only a few years earlier, would have led to certain death. The hospital was nicknamed "the Sty".


Origins

The club was established informally in June 1941 with 39 patients, primarily as a drinking club, and rapidly won McIndoe's endorsement. The members were aircrew patients in Ward III and the surgeons and
anaesthetist Anesthesiology, anaesthesiology or anaesthesia is the medical specialty concerned with the total perioperative care of patients before, during and after surgery. It encompasses anesthesia, intensive care medicine, critical emergency medicine, a ...
s who treated them. Aircrew members had to be serving airmen who had gone through at least two surgical procedures. By the end of the war the club had 649 members. (643 names are listed on the "Roll of Honour" memorial at Queen Victoria Hospital.) The original members were
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
(RAF) aircrew who had severe burns, generally to the face or hands. Most were British but other significant minorities included Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders and by the end of the war Americans, French, Russians, Czechs and Poles. In 1943, a dedicated Canadian wing was built at the hospital, on the initiative of the
Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Can ...
and at Canadian expense. During the
Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain () was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defended the United Kingdom (UK) against large-scale attacks by Nazi Germany's air force ...
, most of the patients at East Grinstead were fighter pilots, but by the end of the war around 80% of the members were from bomber crews of
RAF Bomber Command RAF Bomber Command controlled the Royal Air Force's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. Along with the United States Army Air Forces, it played the central role in the Strategic bombing during World War II#Europe, strategic bombing of Germany in W ...
. A minority of members had suffered non-burns-related injuries (for example, maxillofacial damage incurred in crashes); while another small minority came from army or navy rather than air force backgrounds. A few members even joined the club after the war's end, through injuries sustained in peacetime accidents, as Ward III remained operational until 1948. Before the war the RAF had made preparations by setting up burns units in several hospitals to treat the expected casualties. At East Grinstead, McIndoe and his colleagues, including Albert Ross Tilley, developed and improved many techniques for treating and reconstructing burns victims. They had to deal with very severe injuries: one man, Air Gunner Les Wilkins, lost his face and hands and McIndoe recreated his fingers by making incisions between his knuckles. Aware that many patients would have to stay in hospital for several years and undergo many reconstructive operations, MacIndoe set out to make their lives relaxed and socially productive. He gave much thought to the reintegration of patients into normal life after treatment, an aspect of care that had previously been neglected. They were encouraged to lead as normal a life as possible, including being permitted to wear their own clothes or service uniforms instead of "convalescent blues", and to leave the hospital at will. Local families were encouraged to welcome them as guests, and other residents to treat them without distinction: East Grinstead became "the town that didn't stare". The Guinea Pig Club was part of these efforts to make life in hospital easier, and to rebuild patients psychologically in preparation for life outside. There were even barrels of
pale ale Pale ale is a golden to amber coloured beer style brewed with pale malt. The term first appeared in England around 1703 for beers made from malts dried with high-carbon coke, which resulted in a lighter colour than other beers popular at th ...
in the wards – partly in the interests of re-hydrating patients whose injuries had left them dangerously
dehydrated In physiology, dehydration is a lack of total body water that disrupts Metabolism, metabolic processes. It occurs when free water loss exceeds intake, often resulting from excessive sweating, health conditions, or inadequate consumption of wate ...
, but also to encourage an informal and happy atmosphere. Later, many of the men also served in other capacities in RAF operations control rooms, and occasionally as pilots between surgeries. Those unable to serve in any capacity received full pay until the last surgical operations and only then were invalided out of the service. McIndoe also later loaned some of his patients money for their re-entry into civilian life. A club magazine, ''The Guinea Pig'', was first published in April 1944.


Post-war history

The club was not disbanded at the end of the war, but continued to meet for over sixty years, offering practical support and a sense of community to former patients. ''The Guinea Pig'' magazine also continued to be published until 2003. Annual meetings at East Grinstead attracted visitors from all over the world. McIndoe had been elected life president at the club's foundation: after his death in 1960,
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 19219 April 2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he was the consort of the British monarch from h ...
, became president. Geoffrey Page was the first chairman; and Tom Gleave served as the first and only Chief Guinea Pig until his death in 1993. In 2001 (the 60th anniversary of the club's foundation) the members agreed to continue holding their annual reunions at East Grinstead until there were only 50 members left.Mayhew 2004, p. 204. By 2004, there were 120 survivors; and by 2007 there were 97 (57 in Britain; 40 elsewhere in the world), their ages ranging from 82 to 102. In the event, 2007 marked the last reunion. It attracted over 60 attendees, but in view of the survivors' age and frailty the decision was then taken to wind the club down. There were believed to be 29 survivors by April 2015, and 17 by November 2016. The last members of the club were Sam Gallop and Jan Stangryciuk-Black, who were both aged 101 when they died only days apart in October 2023.


Brevet

The club symbol, or "brevet", depicted a guinea pig flanked by oversized RAF "wings". Two artistic renditions were used: the first showed the guinea pig sitting upright with his ears swept back, perhaps in imitation of a pilot at the controls of his aircraft; while the second showed a more naturalistic guinea pig on all fours.


Anthem

The words to the club anthem were written by Edward "Blackie" Blacksell. They were inspired by the World War I song " Fred Karno's Army", and (like that song) sung to the tune ''Aurelia'' by
Samuel Sebastian Wesley Samuel Sebastian Wesley (14 August 1810 – 19 April 1876) was an English organ (music), organist and composer. Wesley married Mary Anne Merewether and had 6 children. He is often referred to as S.S. Wesley to avoid confusion with his father Sa ...
, best known as the tune of the popular hymn " The Church's One Foundation". The final line of the second verse is an example of a
mind rhyme A subverted rhyme, teasing rhyme or mind rhyme is the suggestion of a rhyme which is left unsaid and must be inferred by the listener. A rhyme may be subverted either by stopping short, or by replacing the expected word with another (which may hav ...
.


Legacy

Sixteen members of the club wrote books about their experiences, some of them during the war. The best known, and most influential in raising public awareness of McIndoe's work, was Richard Hillary's '' The Last Enemy'', originally published in the United States as ''Falling Through Space'' (1942). One of the pubs in East Grinstead adopted the name "The Guinea Pig". It closed in 2008 and was demolished in 2009 to make way for a social housing development named Guinea Pig Place. A painted Roll of Honour is displayed in a corridor of the Canadian Wing at Queen Victoria Hospital. A bronze monument commemorating McIndoe, sculpted by
Martin Jennings Martin Jennings, FRSS (born 31 July 1957) is a British sculptor who works in the figurative tradition, in bronze and stone. His statue of John Betjeman at St Pancras railway station was unveiled in 2007 and the statue of Philip Larkin at ...
(whose own father was a Guinea Pig), was unveiled in East Grinstead High Street in 2014. It depicts a seated airman, with his burned hands clawed together, and his scarred face turned to one side. Behind him, resting a reassuring hand on each shoulder, stands the figure of McIndoe. The two figures are encircled by a stone bench. In November 2016, a monument honouring members of the club was unveiled by the Duke of Edinburgh, its president, at the
National Memorial Arboretum The National Memorial Arboretum is a British site of national remembrance at Alrewas, near Lichfield, Staffordshire, England. Its objective is to honour the fallen, recognise service and sacrifice, and foster pride in the British Armed Forces and ...
, Staffordshire. An exhibition in East Grinstead Museum honouring the members of the club was opened in December 2016 by Susan Piper, Lord Lieutenant of West Sussex, with four club members in attendance. In 2017, the Guinea Pig Club directly inspired the formation of the
CASEVAC Casualty evacuation, also known as CASEVAC or by the callsign Dustoff or colloquially Dust Off, is a military term for the emergency patient evacuation of casualties from a combat zone. Casevac can be done by both ground and air. "DUSTOFF" i ...
Club, a similar mutual support group for service personnel badly injured in the
Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
and
Afghan Afghan or Afgan may refer to: Related to Afghanistan *Afghans, historically refers to the Pashtun people. It is both an ethnicity and nationality. Ethnicity wise, it refers to the Pashtuns. In modern terms, it means both the citizens of Afghanist ...
wars of the 21st century.


Notable members

* George Bennions (1913–2004) * Harold Bird-Wilson (1919–2000) *
Robert Boscawen Robert Thomas Boscawen (17 March 1923 – 28 December 2013) was a British Conservative politician. He was the last member of the House of Commons to hold a Military Cross for action during the Second World War. Background and education Robert ...
(1923–2013) * Bob Doe (1920–2010) *
Jimmy Edwards James Keith O'Neill Edwards, DFC (23 March 19207 July 1988) was an English comedy writer and actor of stage, radio, television and film, known for his roles as Pa Glum in '' Take It from Here'' and as headmaster "Professor" James Edwards in ' ...
(1920–1988) * Bill Foxley (1923–2010) * Tom Gleave (1908–1993) * Richard Hillary (1919–1943) *
Colin Hodgkinson Colin Hodgkinson (born 14 October 1945, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England) is a British rock, jazz and blues bassist, who has been active since the 1960s. Career Hodgkinson played in several bands, but was even more prolific as a sessio ...
(1920–1996) * (1912–1980) * Eric Lock (1919–1941) * Jackie Mann (1914–1995) * Geoffrey Page (1920–2000) * Richard Pape (1916–1995) * Alois Šiška (1914–2003) * (1917–1946) * Robert Wright (1906–1992)


Popular culture

Charles MacLean, himself a Guinea Pig, published a novel, ''The Heavens are not too High'', in 1957, telling the story of a fighter pilot who suffers severe burns. ''Guinea Pig Club'' was the title of a play centred on McIndoe's work produced at
York Theatre Royal York Theatre Royal is a theatre in St Leonard's Place, in York, England, which dates back to 1744. The theatre currently seats 750 people. Whilst the theatre is traditionally a proscenium theatre, it was reconfigured for a season in 2011 to off ...
in 2012, featuring
Graeme Hawley Graeme Hawley (born 25 February 1975) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Dave then as DC Martin Crowe in ''Emmerdale'' and John Stape in the British soap ''Coronation Street''. Career Hawley graduated from Manchester Metrop ...
as McIndoe. ''
Foyle's War ''Foyle's War'' is a British detective drama television series set during and shortly after the Second World War, created by '' Midsomer Murders'' screenwriter and author Anthony Horowitz and commissioned by ITV after the long-running series ...
'', series 3, episode 2, " Enemy Fire" (2004) features a stately home converted to a burns unit in which the patients are encouraged to drink beer, wear their own clothes and organise entertainment. McIndoe is mentioned in passing. Joseph Randolph Richard's novel ''Incendo'' (2015) tells the story of a badly burned pilot and his membership of the club. A film entitled ''The Guinea Pig Club'', starring
Richard E. Grant Richard E. Grant (born Richard Grant Esterhuysen; 5 May 1957) is an Eswatini-born English actor and presenter. He made his film debut as Withnail in the comedy '' Withnail and I'' (1987). Grant received critical acclaim for his role as Jack H ...
as McIndoe, was reported to be planned for production in 2018.


See also

* Mollie Lentaigne, a medical artist and nurse at East Grinstead who made drawings of McIndoe's procedures


Bibliography


Memoirs

(Listed in order of date of first publication) * * * * * * * * * * evised edition published 1999 as ''Shot Down in Flames: a World War II fighter pilot's remarkable tale of survival''. In addition, ''The Guinea Pig'' magazine regularly featured a column "How I became a Guinea Pig", in which individual members recounted their personal experiences.


Secondary accounts

* * * * * * * * * evised edition published 2018 as ''The Guinea Pig Club: Archibald McIndoe and the RAF in World War II''. * *


References


External links


The Guinea Pig Club: Jack Toper's Story
from the BBC on YouTube
"War Is a Helluva Teacher"
from NPR in 2006
Hilda Moore, a Canadian nursing sister recounts serving at East Grinstead
from
Veterans Affairs Canada Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC; ) is the department of the Government of Canada with responsibility for pensions, benefits and services for military veterans, former and current members of the Canadian Armed Forces and Royal Canadian Mounted Pol ...
* : interviews with and photographs of members of the club.
The Guinea Pig Club news
from the
RAF Benevolent Fund The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fundis the Royal Air Force's leading welfare charity. It supports current and former members of the RAF, their partners and families, providing practical, emotional and financial support, whenever it is needed. The F ...
{{Authority control 1941 establishments in England Patients' organizations Plastic surgery organizations United Kingdom in World War II Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Medical and health organisations based in England Oral and maxillofacial surgery organizations Archibald McIndoe 2007 disestablishments in England