A Greenhill Book First published in Great Britain in 2004 by Greenhill Books, Lionel Leventhal Limited www.greenhillbooks.com Reprinted in this format in 2010 by Frontline Books an imprint of Pen & Sword Books Ltd 47 Church Street Barnsley South Yorkshire S70 2AS Copyright © E.R. Mayhew, 2004 ISBN: 978 1 84832 584 5 PDF ISBN: 978 1 78337 537 0 EPUB ISBN: 978 1 84468 768 8 PRC ISBN: 978 1 84468 769 5 The right of E.R. Mayhew to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the Publisher in writing. Printed and bound in England by CPI For a complete list of Pen & Sword titles please contact PEN & SWORD BOOKS LIMITED 47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S70 2AS, England E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.pen-and-sword.co.uk Contents List of Illustrations Foreword Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter One Fire Chapter Two The Burning Blue Chapter Three Above All, Alive Chapter Four The Bombers’ War Chapter Five Beyond Ward III: Canadians and PoWs Chapter Six The Trustees of Each Other Chapter Seven The Privilege of Living Conclusions Appendices Further Reading Further Watching Notes Bibliography Illustrations Unless otherwise indicated, all cartoons and line drawings are courtesy of The Guinea Pig and were drawn by club member Henry Standen, despite his severely burned hands. All photographs have been supplied by members of the Guinea Pig Club and from the archives of the museum at the Queen Victoria Hospital at East Grinstead. Plates (Between pages 96 and 113) McIndoe in theatre, observed by trainee surgeons, orderlies and nurses Canadian WDs who visited East Grinstead every Sunday Ronald Humphreyes with nurses, June 1942 Ronald Humphreyes returns to his Spitfire Squadron, August 1942 John and Betty Bubb at the outset of the war Chief orderly Cyril Jones oversees the saline bath, 1942 The intensity of theatre at East Grinstead Major David Charters on joining the RAMC in 1938 Theatre nurses outside Ward III Charters and his medical staff at Bad Soden The immediate results of reconstructive surgery Nurse Rosemary Parkes in her Red Cross uniform Patients and nurses outside the Annex 1944: Party at the Marchwood Park Convalescent Home Patients and nurses enjoying the summer of 1944 outside Ward III John Hunter, chief anaesthetist, with patients and nurses Christmas in Ward III, 1944 McIndoe, in surgical scrubs, carves the 1944 Christmas turkey McIndoe joins his patients at the Whitehall Jack Allaway, Bill Foxley, Claude Allen, Ricky Rix and Winston Churchill Bill Foxley in the second stage of his pedicle graft William Foxley’s Wedding Day, 28 June 1947 Theatre Sister Dorothy Wagstaff in her office at East Grinstead Squadron Leader Charles Dutt marries Theatre Sister Dorothy Wagstaff 1952 Reunion pre-dinner group at the Whitehall Dinner, later that same evening The 1960 Staff Christmas Party at the Camden Town Marks and Spencer Bill Foxley, Jimmy Wright and Henry Moore with ‘Reclining Figure’ A reunion of the Canadian Guinea Pigs Spitfire dedicated to the Club by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight The Guinea Pig Club Reunion, September 1999 A town’s fitting tribute The boys who came to East Grinstead from all over the world Text Figures An RAF handbook’s depiction of the dangers posed by fire The Guinea Pig’s real-life animal counterparts The Guinea Pig Club membership card The indomitable ‘spirit of Ward III’ The viewing gallery in the East Grinstead theatre Air Ministry poster (courtesy of the RAF Museum, Hendon) Derek Martin shortly before the outbreak of war Derek Martin at East Grinstead after his crash, aged 21 The impressive results of reconstructive surgery at East Grinstead Cartoon of McIndoe, Tilley and Hunter ‘Scarring of the Retina’ The media attention surrounding the RAF The Daily Sketch’s take on the Wings for Victory fundraising drive Wartime advert for Royal Sovereign pencils The reintegration of the Guinea Pigs into the local community Squadron Leader W. Simpson East Grinstead Hospital Christmas dinner menu, 1944 View of East Grinstead (as seen from Fleet Street) The dedication of McIndoe and the miracles he performed Cover of the first Guinea Pig magazine, issued in April 1944 Joe Capka Cartoon lampooning the ignorance of some members of the public Acknowledgements It has been my very good fortune to have received the greatest possible help and encouragement during the research and writing of this book from everyone I approached connected with East Grinstead, as well as members of the academic and medical community and many, many others. I hope I have remembered everybody in the list that appears below, and that they are satisfied with the end result of all our efforts. Jack Toper, editor of The Guinea Pig, has been endlessly patient with my questions over three years of research and has provided me with answers, enthusiasm and some wonderful photographs. The Guinea Pig Club’s Chief Executive for Welfare, Jack Allaway, has been similarly helpful, especially with the provision of a copy of New Faces for Old, in which he starred. From the Guinea Pig Club itself, Betty and John Bubb, Bob Martin, William Foxley and Ronald Humphreyes provided photographs and memories, as did Derek Martin who also gave me access to his remarkable memoirs. Vanora Marland, Sir Archibald McIndoe’s daughter, gave generously of her time and encouragement, with the grace and charm that characterises all her work with the Guinea Pig Club and the RAF Benevolent Fund. Two former East Grinstead nurses gave me great insight into their daily lives caring for ‘the boys’: Nira Hanbury and in particular Rosemary Langford. Nigel Dutt’s memories of his parents, who were both on the staff at East Grinstead, were similarly appreciated. I was able to draw on the resources of the Guinea Pig Club museum at East Grinstead courtesy of its curator Bob Marchant. Thanks go to him not only for his efforts on my behalf but also for creating and maintaining this museum from scratch and single-handed, for no other reward than the gratitude of all its thousands of visitors. This book could not have been written without the support, guidance and imagination of Professor David Edgerton who leads the Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine at Imperial College London. Dr Stephen Bungay, author of Most Dangerous Enemy, the best Battle of Britain history to date, was beyond generous in his insights into the tactics and technology of fighter combat, as well as into the mysteries of the publishing process. Dr Matthew Godwin was similarly openhanded with his own research into Civil Defence casualty provision. Professor David French and Dr Paul Addison’s close and careful reading of the original thesis also informed the structure of the final manuscript to its great benefit. Telling the story of Major David Charters and his efforts on behalf of the burned prisoners of war would simply not have been possible without the brilliant detective work of Joan Howe. Through her, I was able to talk to Mrs Margaret Charters, and her children, who provided the photographs and memories of the quiet hero who preferred anonymity when he returned home from Germany. Through the pages of the Journal of the Royal Society of Ophthalmology Margaret Hallendorff and her staff enabled me to contact colleagues of Major Charters. Thanks go to Brian Beveridge for details of Major Charters’ work post-war, and Archibald Wright Thomson, whose memories of life and medical practice inside the PoW camp system have been invaluable. Two patients of Major Charters in particular provided me with wonderful insights and thanks are due to Jack McEvoy and Lord Hussey for their time and pains. Lord Hussey’s autobiography, Chance Governs All, is the only other source to mention David Charters and his work at Bad Soden. Thanks go to Dr Hannah Gay for bringing Lord Hussey’s autobiography to my attention in the first place. The medical and technical expertise of Drs Alasdair and Annabel Emslie and Dr Colin Hughes have done much to ensure the accuracy of what follows. Equally appreciated were the comments and encouragement received from Dr Jessica Reinisch and Christian Dinesen. Early and sustained enthusiasm for the project came from Albert Applegath. Peter Mountain’s readiness to help with the photographs was gratefully received, as were the sharp-eyed contributions of Tom David and Richard Emslie. Ciaran McConville and the other members of the Debut Theatre Company were a late but welcome inspiration, as was Karen Kelly who directed the BBC documentary The Guinea Pig Club. Thanks are also due to the members of staff from the Imperial War Museum, the Public Records Office, the RAF Museum and the Spitfire Society. As necessary as all of the above was the patience and support of my family, from within whose ranks came the original inspiration for the work.