Memorial Statue of Sir Archibald McIndoe unveiled by HRH the Princess Royal

6th June 2014

 

Sir Archibald McIndoe, a pioneering plastic surgeon, is remembered by many for the innovation and care he brought to burns and plastic surgery treatment during and after the Second World War.

On Monday 9th June 2014, a memorial statue to commemorate his work and his exceptional achievements in the treatment of badly burned Allied aircrew will be unveiled in his adopted hometown of East Grinstead, ’The town that did not stare’.  McIndoe was instrumental in the setting up the famous Guinea Pig Club formed from his patients who underwent reconstructive plastic surgery during World War II.

The slightly over life sized bronze statue of McIndoe, with his arms placed reassuringly on a patient’s shoulders, will be unveiled by Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, Patron of The Blond McIndoe Research Foundation (BMRF).

The statue has been sculpted by Martin Jennings whose bronzes of Sir John Betjeman at St Pancras station and Charles Dickens in Portsmouth are celebrated landmarks. Coincidentally, Martin Jennings own father, Michael, was badly burned when a shell hit his tank in 1944 and he was treated by Sir Archibald in East Grinstead.

After the war, McIndoe was awarded a knighthood and was a founding member of the British Association of Plastic Surgeons (BAPS). In 1956 he co-founded the flying doctor service in East Africa (AMREF) and was due to become President of The Royal College of Surgeons. Unfortunately, McIndoe died in 1960, before this could take place. Apart from his great surgical skills, he will be remembered for his holistic approaches to the rehabilitation of casualties, particularly their social reintegration back into normal life.
Although this memorial statue will highlight his amazing surgical achievements, he also helped create the BMRF with Neville Blond and Elaine Blond. The foundation aimed to develop evidence based treatments for burns and wounds to help patients heal quicker and more effectively. McIndoe wanted the future of plastic surgery to depend on good science and innovation to ensure that future generations got the best care wherever they were. These aspirations and the output of the BMRF is an important legacy that continues to help patients in the 21st century.

The BMRF recently celebrated 50 years since its foundation and reflecting on the important work it was responsible for in the fields of burns research, transplantation biology, nerve regeneration and skin culture techniques. At the BMRF today, the research programme aims to develop new methodologies using cells and biomaterials together to create an environment to support a more regenerative healing process. Current projects include delivering keratinocyte stem cells for the treatment of burn injuries, characterising the role of hypoxia during wound healing, investigating the role of adipose tissue in soft tissue reconstruction, developing novel nanomaterials for skin substitution and a study of the molecular mechanisms underlying malignant melanoma. The Foundation is also hoping to raise funds to involve burns survivors in patient participatory research. This will place patients at the centre of devising relevant research programmes and builds on the legacy of Sir Archibald McIndoe and his early holistic approaches to patient care.

Archibald McIndoe's impact on burns and plastic surgery also continues to be felt today. His approach to burns treatment set the scene for the aggressive and life saving burns surgery performed today by operating on burned servicemen early to get them healed quicker. By excising the burned tissue and skin grafting them he was able to reduce the scar burden and begin the complex task of reconstruction much sooner than had been done before. It was this combination of early skin grafting and innovative use of flaps such as the tube pedicle to reconstruct faces and hands that set the spotlight on his work.

Although many of these techniques had been described previously – Sir Harold Gillies had used them in WW1 – their use in burns and on such a large scale was unique at the time. However it was the psychological care of his 'boys' combined with his surgery that set him apart from many others. Restoring pride, engendering camaraderie, providing emotional support and then returning them to normal society was such a radically different approach that we are only now catching up in modern healthcare by providing a similarly high level of psychological support.

Jacquie Pinney
Chief Executive at The Blond McIndoe Research Foundation

 

Back to list page
News and Views