Social club and mutual support network for British and allied aircrew injured during World War II
The Guinea Pig Club
Formation
June 1941
Founder
Archibald McIndoe
Dissolved
2007
Type
Patient support group
Purpose
Social club and mutual support network for injured servicemen following reconstructive surgery
It has been described as the most exclusive Club in the world, but the entrance fee is something most men would not care to pay and the conditions of membership are arduous in the extreme.
Archibald McIndoe, 1947[1]
The Guinea Pig Club, established in 1941, was a social club and mutual support network for British and allied aircrew injured during World War II. Its membership was made up of patients of Archibald McIndoe in Ward III at Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead, Sussex, who had undergone experimental reconstructive plastic surgery, including facial reconstruction, 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.
^McIndoe, Archibald (July 1947). "The Maestro's message". The Guinea Pig: 3–4.; quoted in Mayhew 2004, p. 78.
arduous in the extreme. Archibald McIndoe, 1947 The GuineaPigClub, established in 1941, was a social club and mutual support network for British and allied...
"Guineapigs, also known as cavies, have been domesticated since around 5000 BCE, leading to the development of a diverse array of breeds. These breeds...
scene with Kenneth More and Susannah York. He was a member of the GuineaPigClub and gave support to burns victims from subsequent conflicts. He said...
With McIndoe's support, patients at the hospital formed the GuineaPigClub, a social club and mutual support network: members included Richard Hillary...
Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead, where he was a founder member of the GuineaPigClub. He was also awarded a Distinguished Flying Medal. Mann met his wife...
trademark. His injuries and their restitution made him a member of the GuineaPigClub. Edwards was a feature of London theatre in post-war years, debuting...
Foundation". In the Second World War it was adapted as the Anthem of the GuineaPigClub, the first line becoming "We are McIndoe's Army ...". The song also...
surgeon Harold Gillies. (After the war he was invited to join the GuineaPigClub.) On 15 May 1941 he was posted as a Flight Commander to No. 66 Squadron...
and went on to become one of the best known members of McIndoe's "GuineaPigClub". He wrote an account of his experiences, published in 1942 under the...
plastic surgery formed the GuineaPigClub, which then became a support network for the aircrew and their family members. The club remained active after the...
"GuineaPigClub ROH". War Memorials Register. Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 1 July 2022. Castle, James (5 June 2016). "List of GuineaPigClub Members"...
surgeries on his way to recovery, and was a founding member of the GuineaPigClub. He eventually passed a medical exam and returned to active service...
Archibald McIndoe worked at the facility, along with other members of the "GuineaPigClub". The wartime Burns Unit was situated in Orchard House, built alongside...
Human GuineaPigs: Experimentation on Man is a book about unethical human experimentation, written by Maurice Pappworth and published by Routledge and...
interviewed for the 2002 drama documentary The GuineaPigClub and is discussed in most histories of the GuineaPigs. He is credited as a technical and tactical...
October 2022. Collins, Lauren (24 October 2012). "Last East Grinstead 'GuineaPig' veteran dies". BBC News. Retrieved 3 January 2024. "Der letzte deutsche...
association with the plastic surgeon Archibald McIndoe and members of his "GuineaPigClub" to disguise Royal Air Force members who had suffered the most severe...
led to the formation of the GuineaPigClub at Queen Victoria Hospital, Sussex. Among the better-known members of his "club" were Richard Hillary, Bill...
pierced his tank. He was evacuated to Archibald McIndoe's pioneering "GuineaPigClub" plastic surgery unit at Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead...
plastic surgery under Archibald McIndoe: he thus became a member of the GuineaPigClub. He was discharged in 1947 and decorated for his persistence as an...
some of her work. Her drawings have uncovered material on the GuineaPigClub, a club formed of Archibald McIndoe's surgical patients, many of whom were...
Theatre 2015 Hangmen Bill Matthew Dunster Royal Court Theatre 2012 GuineaPigClub Archibald McIndoe ------ York Theatre Royal 2012 York Mystery Plays...
was established in partnersip with the CASEVAC Club, a members organisation similar to the GuineaPigClub. The Healing Foundation Centre at the University...
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