All Stations RAF Benevolent Fund

Made up of World War Two airmen, the Guinea Pig Club has left a lasting legacy on future RAF generations and were instrumental in helping Sir Archibald McIndoe develop pioneering plastic surgery techniques.  Our hosts Victoria Taylor and Emily Mayhew, explain how the Guinea Pig Club formed. From our archive, we also hear remarkable stories from members of the Guinea Pig Club themselves. Andrew Perry, son of Guinea Pig Club member Jack Perry, tells us of his experience of standing proudly beside his dad. Listen to our All Stations Series 3 Podcast, where we tell the incredible story of The Guinea Pig Club.

Made up of World War Two airmen, the Guinea Pig Club has left a lasting legacy on future RAF generations and were instrumental in helping Sir Archibald McIndoe develop pioneering plastic surgery techniques. In episode two, actress Fiona Dolman explains how the Guinea Pig Club inspired the CASEVAC club. A club established for those who have been seriously wounded in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. Also, RAF Benevolent Fund Ambassador Mike Goody sits down with the award-winning TV writer Jed Mercurio to talk about his experience as a CASEVAC club member. 

In this episode, we're diving into the medical legacy of both clubs and hearing from a plastic surgeon who has treated more veterans of the Afghan conflict than any other in the UK. The members of both the guinea pig club and the cassava club were united by the severity of their injuries, injuries that had previously been unsurvivable.

The Guinea Pig Club were a group of young airmen who survived fiery crashes during the Second World War. Plastic Surgeon Sir Archibald McIndoe formed a social group of brave men and encouraged members not to hide their injuries and live full, active and happy lives.

In Series Three of All Stations, we listen to the real-life stories from the Guinea Pig Club members, and we learn of their triumphs against the obstacles they faced.

Series three is presented by historian Victoria Taylor, Writer Jed Mercurio, Actress Fiona Dolman and many others, including our RAF Benevolent Fund Ambassador Mike Goody.

Our host, historian Victoria Taylor, explores what it was like to experience the Battle of Britain, both for those in the skies and on the ground at when Britain stared into the 'abyss of a new dark age'.

Historian Victoria Taylor takes us back to just over a month into the battle when the Luftwaffe threw everything they could at the RAF - knowing they had to break them, to be able to invade Britain.