The Guinea Pig Club was a unique organisation of 649 injured World War Two aircrew, all of whom had unexpectedly survived serious burns casualty.  They owed their lives to a maverick surgeon, Sir Archibald McIndoe who pioneered both surgical treatment and a unique concern with holistic care of the patients at his hospital. Both survival, recovery and remarkable long lives were secured at the hospital, allowing many of the patients to return to service until the end of the war.  The Guinea Pig Club provided a model for the best kind of long term casualty care of the weapon wounded of war, and has significantly influenced casualty provision for today’s cohort.