Celebrating our collections dating from 780AD to the present day
By Jennifer Mason, Assistant County Archivist (Collections Management) Acc 14373 - Guinea Pig Club Christmas Magazine, 1948: Drinks with McIndoe! ‘The entrance fee is something most men would not care to pay and the conditions of membership are arduous in the extreme’ These words from renowned plastic surgeon Sir Archibald McIndoe describe the famous Guinea…
Arguably, the profession of nursing offered the same essential experience for every nurse. Yet, it was the experiences born from a specific place and time which gave each nurse their own unique story, and West Sussex has been home to a number of historically significant institutions. From the medieval hospitality of St Mary's Hospital in…
My name is Lucy Maguire, and I worked on the Queen Victoria Hospital Archive Project as a Preservation and Digitisation Assistant between August 2016 and September 2017. As the title suggests, my job was broken up into two main parts but within each there was a wealth of surprises, which made every day its own unique…
The history of Queen Victoria Hospital and the Guinea Pigs can often seem a very male-dominated narrative. McIndoe and the other star plastic surgeons of the day were all men; the Guinea Pig Club was unquestionably a ‘boys’ club.’ Yet often behind the scenes women were making vital – and memorable – contributions to the…
Continue reading ➞ Queen Victoria Hospital Archive Project: ‘Women in the Wings’
The name of Sir Archibald McIndoe comes – deservedly - to the fore in any retelling of the history of Queen Victoria Hospital. As this series of blogs has highlighted, there can be no doubt of his influence in transforming the fortunes of both the hospital and of a multitude of patients through his…
Continue reading ➞ Queen Victoria Hospital Archive Project: Beyond McIndoe – staff at QVH
Today's post is a guest blog from Katie Kettle, a volunteer at East Grinstead Museum, who provides us with a special insight into the relationship between the Guinea Pig Club and the town of East Grinstead. Archibald McIndoe was one of Britain’s few plastic surgeons at the beginning of the Second…
McIndoe and his team at QVH unquestionably accomplished great things in the treatment of severe burns, and in the subsequent surgical reconstruction of disfigured faces, hands and other parts of the body. Yet the achievements of McIndoe’s regime at the hospital extended far beyond physical repair. Many previous posts in this series, including the recent…
Continue reading ➞ Queen Victoria Hospital Archive Project: psychological rehabilitation
We're very pleased to introduce this guest post which has been written by distinguished plastic surgeon, Mr Tom Cochrane, who was not only consultant plastic surgeon at Queen Victoria Hospital for many years, but also honorary plastic surgeon to the Guinea Pig Club. Throughout this time, he has supported the Guinea Pigs in many other ways, giving his time selflessly…
Continue reading ➞ Queen Victoria Hospital Archive Project: treatment of burns
This is the second of two posts about the Guinea Pig club. As discussed in our previous post (see ‘Introducing the Guinea Pig Club’), the Guinea Pig Club began its existence as a social and drinking club. However, it was not long before it became much more than that. Archibald McIndoe was quick to recognise…
Continue reading ➞ Queen Victoria Hospital Archive Project: Guinea Pigs for life
‘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 on the Guinea Pig Club One of the most remarkable legacies of the war years at Queen Victoria…
Continue reading ➞ Queen Victoria Hospital Archive Project: Introduction to the Guinea Pig Club
West Sussex Record Office 