Of all the clubs in the world, perhaps the most extraordinary is the Guinea Pig Club.

A group of second world war veterans that suffered terrible injuries

and were then treated by pioneering plastic surgeon Archie Mackindo, a man who gave these soldiers their lives back.

Today on the History Hit Archive, I dig deep into the History Hit Archive, as I do every Wednesday to put out an episode that deserves more attention.

And this one is with a veteran, a hero, and one of these guinea pigs.

Jan Stangreduc.

Dan interviewed him a couple of years ago

and it's truly a remarkable episode

where you hear all about this pioneering surgery

and the impact it had on these soldiers lives. Enjoy. What is your heritage? Were you born in Poland? Yes, I was born in Poland and in 1935 my parents decided to

emigrate to Argentine.

Why did they do that?

Were they worried about the coming war?

Yes, in a certain way, yes, there is hot experience passing through the first war, and they knew the second war is unavoidable.

So you were born in Poland, when were you born? I was born 184,

1922. That's confidentially I tell you.

I won't tell me one.

I think you're an imposter.

You look about 30 years younger.

Thank you.

And how old were you when you left Poland?

I was 15. Why did you leave? Because you see Poland was as you know

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