The history of the Guinea Pig Club the band of airmen who were seriously burned in aeroplane fires is a truly inspiring spine-tingling tale. Plastic surgery was in its infancy before the Second World War. The most rudimentary techniques were only known to a few surgeons worldwide. The Allies were tremendously fortunate in having maverick surgeon Archibald McIndoe - nicknamed ‘the Boss’ or ‘the Maestro’ - operating at a small hospital in East Grinstead in the south of England. McIndoe constructed a medical infrastructure from scratch. After arguing with his superiors he set up a revolutionary new treatment regime. Uniquely concerned with the social environment or holistic care McIndoe also enlisted the help of the local civilian population. He rightly secured his group of patients dubbed the ‘Guinea Pig Club’ an honoured place in society as heroes of Britain’s war.
Karen Cass studied French and Spanish at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge before training at LAMDA and has since worked extensively in theatre, TV, film and radio. As an audiobook narrator she has... more
