The Guinea Pig Club

Good story skypilot62. Thanks for sharing it.

Some years ago I was running a fledging aviation group in the Isle of Man (now fully fledged!) and met a “Guinea Pig” named “Tommy” Thompson, ex-222 Sqdn Spits. He’d been shot down by “friendly” fire and became a POW before being repatriated early and thence on for McIndoe’s magical touch. He told me how he’d lost his Guinea Pig Club badge whilst watching the Red Arrows over Douglas bay during one TT festival (TT Motorbike races). Fast forward several years to a committee meeting of said aviation society and a new member buttonholes me to ask about a badge his mate has found – a winged Guinea Pig. I told him what it was and asked the story behind it – his mate had been walking along the promenade in Douglas, having just watched the Red arrows one TT festival….you can guess the rest! Whilst the badges are not named or numbered like Caterpillar Club badges are, the chances of 2 people losing their Guinea pig Club badges on Douglas prom whilst watching the Arrows is pretty remote! Needless to say, I was able to reunite Tommy with his badge and we made a special presentation of it at our museum. The presentation finished with him turning to me and saying – “Would you like this badge?”. My flabber was gasted and I was truly humbled by such a generous act. The badge is now deservedly displayed with all due honour that such a man deserves.

As has been said, to each I raise my glass!

For those of you with access to BBC4, there looks to be an interesting documentary on the remaining survivors of the Guinea Pig club on Tuesday at 9.00pm. I hope it does justice to those very courageous men.

Thanks Ian, as you say very courageous men indeed 😉 Anna

Just to rejuvenate this thread from a year ago.

I have today heard that of the original 649 members of The Guinea Pig Club that only 125 of these brave people survive and their average age now is 85 years young.

I raise my glass to you all in sheer admiration of your fortitude.

Didn’t see the programme. But I have read a fair bit about the Guinea Pig Club and Sir Archibald MacIndoe’s incredible team. The thing that has always struck me is their humour in such adversity, and their irreverence towards authority, something which was encouraged by Sir Archibald.

They have an anthem, sung to the tune of the hymn ‘The Church’s One Foundation.’ One verse has always stuck in my mind.

‘We’ve had some mad Australians, some French, some Czechs, some Poles,
We’ve even had some Yankees, God bless their bloomin’ souls,
But as for the Canadians, well that’s a different thing,
They couldn’t stand the accent and built a separate wing.’

If I remember rightly the Canadian wing was paid for by the Canadian Government. A truly wonderful group of people who forged a legacy that continues today.

Regards,

kev35

Originally posted by Janie
If you’re squeamish look away now.
If you’ve got a few quid to spare, read on. If you want to stop me plugging this bunch, you’re going to have to tie me down.
Thanks Auster Fan for giving me the excuse. Sadly, I only discovered them because of the Mark Hanna tragedy.

No thanks are required on my account. Plug away, Janie as the work they do and have done is magnificent.

B*gg*r, missed it. Power cut from 6pm until early hours. Should be on again, the Beeb seem to be short of progs for the extra channels.

If you’re squeamish look away now.
If you’ve got a few quid to spare, read on. If you want to stop me plugging this bunch, you’re going to have to tie me down.
Thanks Auster Fan for giving me the excuse. Sadly, I only discovered them because of the Mark Hanna tragedy.

Copied from the internet
Blond McIndoe Centre (governing body East Grinstead Medical Research Trust) – specialising in medical research for plastics and reconstructive surgery, with the main emphasis being on new treatments for burn injuries, corneal restoration, cartilage repair and nerve repair.

Charity registration no: 258154

Address: Blond McIndoe Centre
Queen Victoria Hospital
East Grinstead
West Sussex
RH19 3DZ

Website: http://www.blondmcindoe.com

I’ve just watched the programme and I find it difficult to express my thoughts on these remarkable men and, let’s not forget, Archibald McIndoe. Any words I might say wouldn’t do them justice, although I must say that it was a programme that at points I found difficult to watch, particularly when describing their treatment (eg pedicles); however, I felt in my own minuscule way that it was the least I could do. Compare and contrast these men, grieviously injured at 19 or a little older with the whingeing and whining of some of todays so called “celebrities” and over-paid egos – no comparison at all. Gentlemen, I raise a galss to you all!

*BUMP!*

Aswell as being on at 9pm,it’s on again just after 11pm tonight. 🙂

Auster Fan
Thanks for letting us know.

Hopefully it will be repeated on BBC2 soon. Most of the digital programs end up there in the end.