Guinea Pig Club facts for kids
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| Formation | June 1941 |
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| Founder | Archibald McIndoe |
| Dissolved | 2007 |
| Type | Patient support group |
| Purpose | Social club and mutual support network for injured servicemen following reconstructive surgery |
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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.
The Guinea Pig Club was a very special club created in 1941 for brave British and allied airmen who were injured during World War II. These airmen had suffered serious burn injuries, often to their faces and hands, while flying aircraft. They were patients of a brilliant surgeon named Archibald McIndoe at the Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead, England. Dr. McIndoe used new and experimental plastic surgery techniques to help them heal and rebuild their bodies. The club offered friendship and support to these courageous men, and it continued to be active for many years after the war, holding annual meetings until 2007.
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The Club's Unique Name
The club was given the unique name "Guinea Pig Club" because the medical treatments and equipment used were very new and experimental. It was much like how guinea pigs are sometimes used in scientific studies to test new ideas. The doctors were trying out advanced ways to help people with severe burns. These were injuries that would have been impossible to treat just a few years before. The hospital itself was even playfully called "the Sty," like a home for guinea pigs!
How the Club Began
The Guinea Pig Club started informally in June 1941 with 39 patients. It quickly became a social club where members could support each other. Dr. McIndoe strongly approved of the club. Members included airmen from Ward III and the surgeons and anaesthetists who treated them. To join, airmen had to be serving and have gone through at least two surgeries. By the end of the war, the club had 649 members. A "Roll of Honour" memorial at Queen Victoria Hospital lists 642 names.
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Most early members were Royal Air Force (RAF) airmen with severe burns, usually on their faces or hands. While most were British, many others came from Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Later, Americans, French, Russians, Czechs, and Poles also joined. In 1943, a special Canadian wing was built at the hospital. This was thanks to the Royal Canadian Air Force and funded by Canada. During the Battle of Britain, many patients were fighter pilots. By the war's end, about 80% were from bomber crews. A few members had other injuries, like facial damage from crashes, not just burns. Some even joined after the war from peacetime accidents, as Ward III stayed open until 1948.
Before the war, the RAF had prepared for casualties by setting up burns units in hospitals. At East Grinstead, Dr. McIndoe and his team, including Albert Ross Tilley, created many new ways to treat burn victims. They dealt with very serious injuries. For example, one airman, Les Wilkins, had very severe injuries to his face and hands. Dr. McIndoe and his team worked tirelessly to rebuild parts of his body, including creating new fingers.
Dr. McIndoe knew many patients would stay in the hospital for years, needing many operations. He wanted their lives to be relaxed and meaningful. He focused on helping patients return to normal life, which was a new idea at the time. Patients were encouraged to live as normally as possible. They could wear their own clothes or uniforms instead of hospital gowns. They could also leave the hospital whenever they wanted. Local families were asked to welcome them, and other residents were encouraged to treat them normally. East Grinstead became known as "the town that didn't stare." The Guinea Pig Club helped make hospital life easier and prepared patients for life outside. To help create a friendly and relaxed atmosphere, and also to help patients stay hydrated after their injuries, there were even barrels of a light beer called pale ale in the wards.
Many of these brave men later served in other roles for the RAF. Some even flew planes between their surgeries. Those who couldn't serve still received full pay until their last operation. Only then were they honorably discharged from service. Dr. McIndoe also helped some patients financially as they returned to civilian life.
The club also had its own magazine, The Guinea Pig, which was first published in April 1944.
After the War
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The club did not end when the war finished. It continued for over sixty years, offering practical help and a strong sense of community to former patients. The Guinea Pig magazine was published until 2003. Annual meetings in East Grinstead brought visitors from all over the world. Dr. McIndoe was elected life president when the club started. After he passed away in 1960, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, became the 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, for the club's 60th anniversary, members decided to continue their annual reunions in East Grinstead until only 50 members remained. By 2004, there were 120 survivors. By 2007, there were 97 members (57 in Britain; 40 elsewhere), ranging in age from 82 to 102. The last reunion was held in 2007. Over 60 people attended, but due to the members' age and health, the club decided to close down. By April 2015, there were believed to be 29 survivors, 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.
The Club's Symbol
The club's symbol, or "brevet," showed a guinea pig with large RAF "wings" on either side. There were two main designs. One showed the guinea pig sitting upright with its ears back, like a pilot in an aircraft. The other showed a more natural-looking guinea pig on all fours.
Lasting Impact and Memorials
Sixteen members of the club wrote books about their experiences. Some even wrote them during the war. The most famous book, which helped many people understand Dr. McIndoe's work, was Richard Hillary's The Last Enemy (published in the United States as Falling Through Space in 1942).
One of the pubs in East Grinstead was named "The Guinea Pig." It closed in 2008 and was later replaced by a housing development called Guinea Pig Place.
A painted Roll of Honour, listing the names of members, is displayed in a corridor of the Canadian Wing at Queen Victoria Hospital.
A bronze monument honoring Dr. McIndoe was unveiled in East Grinstead High Street in 2014. It was sculpted by Martin Jennings, whose own father was a Guinea Pig. The monument shows a seated airman with his injured hands clasped and his scarred face turned to the side. Behind him stands Dr. McIndoe, placing a comforting hand on each of the airman's shoulders. A stone bench encircles the two figures.
In November 2016, another monument honoring club members was unveiled by Prince Philip, the club's president, at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.
An exhibition celebrating the club members opened in December 2016 at the East Grinstead Museum. Susan Piper, the Lord Lieutenant of West Sussex, opened the exhibition, with four club members attending.
In 2017, the Guinea Pig Club directly inspired the creation of the CASEVAC Club. This is a similar support group for service personnel who were seriously injured in the Iraq and Afghan wars of the 21st century.
Notable Members
- George Bennions (1913–2004)
- Harold Bird-Wilson (1919–2000)
- Robert Boscawen (1923–2013)
- Bob Doe (1920–2010)
- Jimmy Edwards (1920–1988)
- Bill Foxley (1923–2010)
- Tom Gleave (1908–1993)
- Richard Hillary (1919–1943)
- Colin Hodgkinson (1920–1996)
- Josef Koukal (1912–1980)
- Eric Lock (1919–1941)
- Jackie Mann (1914–1995)
- Geoffrey Page (1920–2000)
- Richard Pape (1916–1995)
- Alois Šiška (1914–2003)
- Jan Stangryciuk-Black (1922–2023)
- František 'Frankie' Truhlář (1917–1946)
- Robert Wright (1906–1992)
See also
- Mollie Lentaigne, a medical artist and nurse at East Grinstead who made drawings of McIndoe's procedures
