 | |
| 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.