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 operating at East Grinstead: a painting by Anna Zinkeisen, 1944
Jan Stangryciuk (left), the last surviving member of the Guinea Pig Club, photographed in 2017 with Air Commodore Charles Clarke
Monument to Sir Archibald McIndoe in East Grinstead
The comedy actor Jimmy Edwards, a member of the club: he grew his trademark handlebar moustache in order to camouflage his facial injuries
Sir Archibald Hector McIndoe 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.
McIndoe operating at East Grinstead: a painting by Anna Zinkeisen, 1944
Blue plaque on McIndoe's former home at Avenue Court, 23–29 Draycott Avenue, Chelsea, London
Monument to McIndoe in East Grinstead, by Martin Jennings