IBCC Lecture & Supper Series - The Guinea Pig Club, “McIndoe’s Army” - 14th January 2027
Originally founded in 1941 as a drinking club by a group of pilots from the Battle of Britain, by the end of the Second World War, 80% of the members of “Guinea Pig Club” came from Bomber Command. The Club took its name from the pioneering surgery they underwent at the Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead under Sir Archibald McIndoe. McIndoe’s experimental procedures became renowned around the world and his techniques went on to inspire modern plastic surgery. Unusually for the time, McIndoe focused on healing not only patients' physical scars, but supporting their emotional wellbeing too. This became the enduring mission of the Club in the post-war years.
The Guinea Pig Club 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.”
This presentation covers how the Club came into being with stories of the pioneering operations, the unique atmosphere of “Ward III” where at weekends you might find a keg of beer to raise the spirits and tales of the indomitable characters that carried their scars for life. The last of the 649 members died in 2023, aged 101 but their memory lives on.
Iris Hillery is a historical reenactor with a passion for the remarkable story of the Guinea Pig Club.
The evening starts with a delicious hot supper in The Hub Café at 18.30.
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Originally founded in 1941 as a drinking club by a group of pilots from the Battle of Britain, by the end of the Second World War, 80% of the members of “Guinea Pig Club” came from Bomber Command. The Club took its name from the pioneering surgery they underwent at the Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead under Sir Archibald McIndoe. McIndoe’s experimental procedures became renowned around the world and his techniques went on to inspire modern plastic surgery. Unusually for the time, McIndoe focused on healing not only patients' physical scars, but supporting their emotional wellbeing too. This became the enduring mission of the Club in the post-war years.
The Guinea Pig Club 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.”
This presentation covers how the Club came into being with stories of the pioneering operations, the unique atmosphere of “Ward III” where at weekends you might find a keg of beer to raise the spirits and tales of the indomitable characters that carried their scars for life. The last of the 649 members died in 2023, aged 101 but their memory lives on.
Iris Hillery is a historical reenactor with a passion for the remarkable story of the Guinea Pig Club.
The evening starts with a delicious hot supper in The Hub Café at 18.30.
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