Prince Harry, recently, made a surprise appearance on BBC’s “The One Show” via video call from the United States.
BBC’s The One Show reportedly asked Prince Harry to help “shine a light” on veteran’s causes and experiences in commemoration of the 75th VE Day. He joined the special broadcast on Monday in the United Kingdom through a video conference made via Zoom.
Amid the pre-recorded call, the royal born-Prince helped highlight stories of veterans from both the Guinea Pig Club and the CASEVAC Club. As stated, this was in part of the platform’s coverage for VE Day.
Prince Harry helped recall the Guinea Pig Club
Prince Harry briefly conversed with Maggie Wilson, the widow of Sandy Saunders, who helped form the club, according to People. As shared, Saunders severe burns during World War II upon crashing his Tiger Moth plane.
The veterans’ widow continued to share how her late husband received “experimental treatments” to his face, hands, and legs, with the help of the “pioneering surgeon,” Sir Archibald McIndoe. She also went on to assert how these procedures changed his life.
Aside from Maggie Wilson, Andy Perry also shared the experiences of his father, Jack Perry. He was also a member of the same club.
As the nation was celebrating #VEDay, the Duke of Sussex took part in a special film to commemorate the bravery of veterans in various conflicts.#TheOneShow pic.twitter.com/BqbLnNjaOu
— BBC The One Show (@BBCTheOneShow) May 11, 2020
In 1941, a group of military personnel established the Guinea Pig Club or GPC. It was mainly for air force veterans who received severe injuries due to burns. Later on, they reportedly became popularly known as the “unexpected survivors.”
As explained, the name of the club came from the group’s “willingness” to undergo “experimental” procedures to treat their “life-changing injuries.”
The CASEVAC Club represented
The Guinea Pig Club has reportedly “inspired” modern-day counterparts. These include the CASEVAC Club, which came from the military jargon, CASEVAC, for “casualty evacuation,” as per Harper’s Bazaar.
In the call with Prince Harry, the founding veterans of the club, Dave Henson and Dave Wiseman, reportedly joined the video conference call to take part in the platform’s coverage. As stated, both veterans have shared a close relationship with the Duke of Sussex.
Similar to the GPC, the modern-day version is centered on veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. They reportedly established the program in 2017, which is the same year when Lieutenant Sandy Saunders died.
In the latter part of the video call, Prince Harry noted the “importance” of remembering the GPC, as well as the CASEVAC Club’s future endeavors. As reported, the royal born-Prince has hoped that his appearance on the show will bring this awareness to a much “wider audience.”
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