You are going to carry out an investigation into the first story within the graphic novel which is about Geoffrey Page, who was shot down from his aircraft during World War II. He received extensive burns to his face and hands but he became a ‘guinea pig’ for pioneering medical treatments for burns.
Read the story. Look up any words that you do not understand and answer the following questions:
4. On the Sunday afternoon of 20th July 1941 a group of airmen, all recovering from surgery, suggested they should form a drinking club: The Guinea Pig Club. Membership would be open to: The Guinea Pigs, The Scientists (doctors, surgeons and members of medical staff) and The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Guinea Pigs – friends and people who made the life of a Guinea Pig a happy one. Why do you think the last group of people were so important?
5. What do you think was the bravest thing that Geoffrey Page did?
6. Who are the heroes within this story? Why?
7. What positive changes did the Guinea Pig Club bring about?
8. If someone has scars or injuries that makes them look different to everyone else, how do you think you should react?
STORY 1:
STORY 1
On 12th August 1940, Geoffrey Page and his RAF Squadron were sent to intercept a group of German bombers during the Second World War. He was shot down from his aircraft, his fuel tanks ignited but although he was able to bail out of his plane, he received extensive burns to his face and hands.
Page’s injuries were severe and it was believed that he would never fly again. However, he became part of experimental techniques for the treatment of burns – a ‘guinea pig’ for doctors.
After 15 operations, he returned to active service in the RAF in 1942.
Biography of Geoffrey Page
Geoffrey Page was born 16 May 1920. His uncle was Hanley Page, the famous aircraft designer. Two weeks after the start of the Second World War… on 1 September 1939, Geoffrey Page joined the Royal Air Force. During the Battle of Britain (July-October 1940), Page flew missions in a Hawker Hurricane fighter plane.
On 12 August 1940, Page and his Squadron were sent to intercept a group of German bombers. During the aerial fighting, Page’s aircraft was shot down and the fuel tanks ignited. Page was able to bail out of his plane, but he received extensive burns to his face and hands.
Page’s injuries were severe, and it was believed he would never fly again.
Queen Victoria Cottage Hospital, East Grinstead
Page was treated at the Queen Victoria Hospital. Opened in 1936, the hospital quickly became part of the government’s preparations for treating wartime casualties. Three new wards were constructed, including Ward III for severely burned military personnel. The Ward, and the Centre for Plastic and Jaw Surgery, were run by Archibald McIndoe.
McIndoe pioneered many treatments for burns injuries. He campaigned to ban the use of tannic acid, which made reconstructive plastic surgery difficult for burns patients, and developed new treatments instead. As many of the treatments being used at the Queen Victoria Hospital’s Ward III were new, the patients, including Page, called themselves the ‘Guinea Pigs’….
East Grinstead – ‘The Town that didn’t stare’
The injuries and surgeries which many servicemen received altered their physical appearance. Rather than hide away, as physically disfigured people had previously been forced to do, the Guinea Pigs were encouraged to go into the town of East Grinstead, where they frequented local pubs, shops, cinemas, and the dance hall… The local community embraced the servicemen, a number of whom went on to marry nurses at the hospital and young women from the town. This is why East Grinstead became known as ‘the town that didn’t stare’.
Page underwent 15 operations at Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead… before returning to active service in the RAF in 1942. During the D-Day landings (6 June 1944), Page provided fighter cover to soldiers on the ground.
You are going to carry out an investigation into the second story in the graphic novel, ‘Remember, Remember…’ which is about Pauline Gough who experienced life changing burns from a firework that she found and lit at home. She became the face of a campaign to warn parents about the dangers of fire in the home.
In your group, read the story. Look up any words that you do not understand and answer the following questions:
STORY 2:
STORY 2
On the 2nd November 1954, Pauline Gough who was 7 years old, found a firework, hidden in the family’s piano, ready for the Guy Fawkes Night celebrations. She managed to light it at an unguarded fireplace in her living room. Her clothing quickly caught fire and she experienced severe burns to her arms, legs, and front and back of her body.
Her clinical photograph, showing the full extent of her scarring, was included on a burns prevention poster for a 1961 campaign about the danger of fire in the home.
Pauline’s story of survival raises awareness of the importance of there being patients’ groups and charities, like the Children’s Burns Trust.
From ‘the Girl in the Burning Dress’ to Nan: Burn Survivor Pauline Gough tells her story.
20.05.2019
A blog post from an interview in 2018 as part of a research project called Forged by Fire: Burns Injuries and British Identity, c. 1800-2000.
On 2nd November 1954, Pauline walked home from school with her brother in high spirits, singing ‘We break up, we break down, we don’t care if the school falls down’ to the tune of Nick Nack Paddy Whack. The happy atmosphere soon deteriorated after she got hold of a firework, which had been hidden inside the family’s piano for the forthcoming Guy Fawkes’ celebrations, and lit it in an unguarded fireplace in her living room. What followed happened quickly: her clothes caught fire; she remembers feeling ‘nothing at first, and then the pain kicked in ‘all of a sudden’. Neighbours heard screams; they found her in flames standing on an armchair. She was wrapped in a blanket to smother the flames while neighbours threw buckets of water over the blazing furniture. Pauline was then rushed to the Coventry & Warwickshire Hospital with severe burns to her arms, legs and front and back of her body.
When the extent and seriousness of Pauline’s injuries were recognised by hospital staff, it was decided to transfer her to a specialised burns team twenty miles away...Led by infection expert Leonard Colebrook, the team quickly developed an international reputation for developing burns care that controlled the infections that regularly plagued burns survivors. Not only was this important in ensuring the survival of patients, but the successful use of skin grafts required patients be kept infection-free…
…Pauline spent the next three years in hospital undergoing treatment…
…With her mother’s permission, Pauline’s clinical photograph, showing the full extent of her scarring, was included on a burns prevention poster for a 1961 campaign alongside a staged photograph of a girl in a burning dress in order to warn parents of the dangers of leaving their children to play unsupervised. It was displayed in children’s clinics, health centres and high street shop windows up and down the country and must have shocked many people into action…
…Pauline was around 9 years old when she started to walk. Unable to sit properly, she needed to be lifted from her bed by her father. When she returned to school, she attended a special school for about six months and recalls struggling with maths and fractions in particular. But when she returned to school with her old friends it was business as usual. More than anything, she wanted to be treated just like any of the children. Life did get better, but occasionally Pauline wished that she had had someone with whom to discuss her challenges when she was 12 or 14 years old.
…Although much of Pauline’s story is historical, it continues to inspire and hold many relevant lessons...The existence of patients’ groups and charities, like the Children’s Burns Trust means that there are other people to help survivors along their journeys.
Pauline married and has family. Her children and her grandchildren have never asked about her scars:
“I am their nan and that’s it”
Coventry Evening Telegraph, Thursday, Nov 4, 1954
BURNED GIRL ‘VERY POORLY’
The condition of seven years old Pauline Gough of 36, The Chantries, Coventry, who was seriously burned when her clothes caught fire on Tuesday, was described to-day as “still very poorly”.
She is detained in the burns unit of Birmingham Accident Hospital.
Coventry Evening Telegraph, Wednesday, Nov 3, 1954
Neighbours Found Girl, 7, With Clothing Ablaze
In a ward in the burns unit at Birmingham Accident Hospital, doctors are to-day fighting to save the life of a seven years old Coventry girl who was seriously burned when her clothes caught alight at her home yesterday afternoon.
She is Pauline Gough daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H. Gough of 36 The Chantries, whose condition is described as “very poorly”.
SCREAMS WERE HEARD
At four o’clock yesterday afternoon neighbours attracted by screams from Pauline’s home, found her standing on an armchair, enveloped in flames.
It is believed that Pauline’s clothes caught fire and the flames spread to the armchair and cushions.
While some neighbours threw buckets of water over the burning furniture, others wrapped a coat around Pauline to smother the flames.
Pauline was taken to Coventry and Warwickshire Hospital with severe burns to the arms, legs and front and back of the body. Twenty minutes later an ambulance make a 30-mile dash to transfer Pauline to the burns unit as Birmingham.
Local newspaper articles:
You are going to carry out an investigation into the third fire depicted in the graphic novel, which took place at 39 Watson Street Lodging House in Glasgow, in 1905.
Read the story. Look up any words that you do not understand and answer the following questions:
STORY 3:
STORY 3:
In the late 1800s, Victorian Glasgow was a magnet for traveling workers, who streamed into the city in search of low-paid manual work.
The City Council’s response to overcrowding was to build lodging houses – which they believed to be better and cheaper accommodation for the city’s poor and destitute.
William Paterson (Glasgow Fire master and former Inspector of Factories in London) campaigned for better building inspections.
In 1905, the disaster that he predicted took place - at 39 Watson Street Lodging House, a fire broke out and 39 men died.
In an effort to ensure that such a disaster never happened again, the law was changed and many new safety measures, inspections and regulations were insisted upon for new lodging buildings in the city.
39 Watson Street Lodging House was a large stone Victorian warehouse building, which had been converted into lodgings. It had four floors, with an attic and a basement. It was lined throughout with flammable wood. Each room was approximately 40 square ft, with cubicles, 7x7 ft again made from wood, in the style of compartments on emigrant ships. There were 380 men in residence on the night of the fire.
The alarm was raised at 05:50 Sunday morning by the watchman. The fire had started in one of the cubicles on the 3rd floor while the men slept. The likely cause was a cigarette or match, or spark from a pipe, even though all inflammable materials were banned from the dorms.
The staircases were lined with wood so it was difficult to escape via the single unlit staircase, which was full of smoke. Semi-naked panic-stricken men were seen running for safety into the cold, frosty, early morning street. Some grabbed a pair of trousers in their escape, others a blanket or a rug.
The Fire brigade Head Quarters was a few hundred yards away, so the men and engines responded quickly. The building was already well ablaze on 3rd and 4th floors, with flames shooting through windows and licking at the flat roof. The fire brigade and police rescued 30-40 men trapped in the burning building, including some who had collapsed through smoke inhalation, and some who were disabled.
Paterson praised his men for re-entering the building to save residents at their own risk, despite not having breathing equipment. Some of the firemen experienced minor burns and smoke inhalation from their heroic behaviour.
The stairwell was full of dense choking smoke; they were ‘like rats in a trap’.
Flames were forcing their way through the door, and windows were locked.
One of the residents, Jack Findley, a slater, rescued three other men, including one blind man and two disabled, who had been left behind by the other residents who ran in fear.
Findlay smashed his way through the attic skylight with one of the disabled men’s crutch and, returning to the smoke-filled room three times in total, dragged them to safety on the roof, where they crawled over the slates to an adjoining roof, where the fire brigade rescued them using ladders.
Newspapers called for Findlay to be rewarded for his bravery – one man he rescued called for him to be awarded the Victoria Cross (only available to members of the British armed forces). Findlay was awarded £20 by an anonymous donation, as well as the hand in marriage from a Dundee woman! The fire-fighters also received financial rewards from members of the public.
The Daily Mirror, November 20, 1905, page 3.
APPALLING FIRE DISASTER
Frantic Fight for Life in a Dense Fog.
THIRTY-NINE DEATHS
Hero Goes Back To Rescue Cripples and a Blind Man.
An appalling loss of life was caused by a fire which broke out in Glasgow yesterday morning.
Thirty-nine men were killed and thirty-two were injured.
This terrible list of casualties would have been even greater but for the splendid work done by firemen, and a magnificent display of heroism on the part of one of the poor men in the burning building. This hero, after showing a number of his fellow-sufferers the way to safety, went back and saved a cripple, a partly paralysed man, and one who was blind.
Extraordinary scenes were witnessed in the streets, which were crowded with hundreds of naked men who fled from the building into the freezing cold without a stitch of clothing…
A few hundred yards from the burning building is the Central Fire Station, and almost within seconds of the outbreak being discovered the brigade, hastily summoned by telephone, were at hand…
Once the passages and staircases were clear of the panic-stricken fugitives, the firemen struggled up to rescue those who had dropped insensible in the smoke. Those at the fire station, seeing the flames through the dense fog that prevailed, sent further help, and while their comrades struggled to rescue the insensible men, other firemen got the hoses to work and flooded the fourth floor, upon which the fire was raging…
You are going to carry out an investigation into the fourth fire in the graphic novel which took place at Queen Victoria Street in London in 1902.
Read the story. Look up any words that you do not understand and answer the following questions:
STORY 4:
STORY 4:
On June 9, 1902, a fire claimed ten lives on Queen Victoria Street, in London.
There had been no fire drills during work hours and not all staff did as they had been drilled to do. There were unlicensed flammable products on site. To top it all, escape ladders were too short to rescue people from the top floors of the General Electric Company’s London offices, including nine young women aged 14 – 18 years…
This fire, which took place in the 1900s led to the fire safety regulations that we now have in the workplace.
Testimony of Joseph Henry West, Station Officer at headquarters No. 1 Station, Southwark.
Was not on duty, but left station with first oil steamer with five other men… Entered 67 through basement of 71. Went up spiral staircase of 67. Went up to roof and saw open iron doors, which ordered someone to close. Saw some of the Salvage Corps on roof... Carry pocket lines with them, but not strong enough to be lowered with…Told Radley in his crew that he was going in. Leapt from parapet of 69 to 67 sill. Crawled in 2-3 yards on hands and knees. Felt a face and brought her out to the window. Attached a line to her body… Long ladder arrived and saw his man Richards on the sill. Richards carried her down. It is risk, but do not think of that when there are children to save. Found other woman when he found the first. Her legs were entangled with the others. Handed second body out to Roberts. Was returning for third girl when flames burst out in room. Skylight was beginning to fall in and fire grew. No longer all smoke, but fire. Tried to move third girl but too exhausted and laid over sill and go out. Does not remember much else until he was on roof. Flames were 12 to 18 feet across road when he arrived. Would have saved all the lives in that building had arrived five minutes earlier. Smell of smoke of a peculiar nature; very stifling… Brigade is blamed for not being there, but they can only be there when called.
Testimony of Alice Thompson (survivor who jumped).
…Has worked at GEC at 67 QV St for last 18 months as holder fitter. Is on top floor of 67. These include electric lamp holders. Brass and porcelain parts need to be fitted together. After screwing these parts together they are wrapped in tissue paper and placed in cardboard box. A dozen placed in each box. Heard alarm at 5:15 when having tea. Charwoman, Mrs Graham, brought it up to them… Windows in front and back and stairs between. Alarm bells near stairs. It was fixed on post, about 8ft high. Had never heard the bell ring before. 13 other girls employed on that floor with her. Age of eldest was 17, Mabel Amos, her cousin… Girls ran to stairs, but smoke too thick. Ran to five windows in front. She ran to nearest by St. Paul’s. They opened it but others wanted it closed because smoke coming in. Went to Mansion House side. Stood on window ledge. Saw policemen holding out tarpaulin. It was taken off cart. Fire engine was turning on Watling Street. Two firemen helped policemen hold tarpaulin. Bystanders helped too. Turned to room… Could not have jumped if facing people on street… Had not heard of trapdoor in room. There were ladders in the room… None of men helped girls escape… Did not hear anyone shout fire up the stairs… also never seen a drill. Never received instructions about escaping in case of fire. Only man in room went down at once… two men on floor go through trap door. Had heard bells before but not told it was a drill…”
Extension: Did you have any of the same questions as the real inquest?
This is based on the real Queen Victoria Street Fire Inquest, held by Dr F. J. Waldo, Coroner for City of London, into the deaths of 10 persons at fire at the General Electric Company’s premises 67, Queen Victoria Street, on 9 June 1902, and whether those deaths were preventable.
Many questions were asked, including:
Eight of the 10 deaths occurred on top floor of No. 67. Fire probably broke out between a minute or two before five pm. News of fire delivered to Watling St fire station by a young boy, apparently told to go by porter.
A stock of Commudine was illegally kept by the firm. Storage of flammable materials comes under Petroleum Acts 1871-81.
What really happened with the jumping sheet? Fire brigade claimed it was used, but many did not see it at the fire.
Bravery of West and others the only ‘bright feature in this most painful case’. West did not go to roof to save lives, but via roundabout way. Missed a ‘golden opportunity’… Their plan should have included simple idea of exits in roof…
…If there is negligence, is it criminal, or just negligence?
You are going to carry out an investigation into the last three stories within the graphic novel, which are about the Bradford City Stadium Fire of 1985.
On the 11th May in 1985, 56 people died in the fire at Valley Parade, including several children from schools, across Bradford. Some families lost two or three generations and hundreds of people experienced life changing injuries.
Although it was a terrible tragedy, there were also many tales of heroism, community and resilience; the people of Bradford came together, they helped each other and worked together to support those affected by the fire on the day and afterwards. The inquiry that was launched, in the aftermath of the disaster also led to legislation to improve safety at football grounds.
Read the stories and answer the questions below:
STORIES 8-10: TALES FROM BRADFORD CITY STADIUM FIRE
The fire started five minutes before half-time during the match between Bradford and Lincoln City.
It was later established that the blaze was caused by a fan who went to put his cigarette out but dropped it between the floorboards onto a pile of rubbish that had been building up below.
Owing to windy conditions, less than four minutes later the entire wooden stand was engulfed in smoke and fire. Radiated heat from the burning roof of the stand set fire to the clothing of fans trapped underneath. People ran onto the pitch with their clothes on fire while others were trapped at the back of the stand where they had gone to try to escape through the turnstiles.
The true accounts of Doctors, football fans and members of the community were recreated into three graphic stories by students at Beckfoot Thornton School.
STORIES FROM BRADFORD CITY STADIUM FIRE, 1985
David Hustler, in St Luke’s Hospital, wearing the Bradford Sling, invented by Dr David Sharpe.
David Hustler, a 45-year-old warehouse supervisor from Shipley, regularly attended Bradford City home games.
He was sitting in the upper block with friends celebrating the club’s promotion when the fire took hold.
He helped evacuate the block before making his own escape. On the way he stopped to rescue two injured supporters: the first, a 69-year-old woman, and the second, a 17-year-old disabled man. In both cases he dragged them over the wall into the standing area, which involved a six-foot drop. At this point, as he recalled in an interview, ‘the flames hit me across the back of my head’. They then got onto the pitch and received help from emergency services.
Badly burned to his head, face, and legs, David continued to volunteer help; he even put out the flames on the young man’s coat with his bare hands, burning them in the process.
He was then taken to hospital by a police officer, where he was treated for severe burns before he was discharged the next month. This involved surgery to graft new skin onto the burned areas and twice-daily exercises on his hands.
The following year he was awarded the Queen’s Gallantry Medal for Bravery. When asked if he regretted not getting out of the stand earlier to avoid getting burned, which would have meant not saving the two supporters, David replied ‘I never even thought about running … I don’t regret that, not at all. That’s the price of my injuries.’
Tales of Heroism, Community and Resilience.
Joanne Baron, a 10-year-old schoolgirl from Tong, was attending her first football match with her family.
Having become separated, with thick smoke and flames making breathing difficult, she helped an elderly male supporter escape, but received severe burns to her leg, hands and face which required multiple surgeries.
When asked if she was frightened, she said: ‘I wasn’t frightened at the time and just carried on trying to do what I could’.
Joanne was the youngest person to receive an award for bravery, being presented with a Children of Courage Award by Princess Diana at Westminster Abbey in London, which she described as ‘one of the best days in my life’.
She also received a Christmas present of £10 from an anonymous donor, believed to be the man she helped rescue. The letter, addressed to Joanne’s mum but sent to the local newspaper, said ‘Please give this to your little heroine.’
Joanne, David, and more than 250 other patients, all with burns injuries, were treated at the city’s hospitals by Dr (later Professor) David Sharpe, and a team of doctors, nurses and surgeons who offered their help from across Britain.
Dr Sharpe had ‘never seen burns on this scale before’. He described the scene as being ‘like a wartime situation in that they all have similar injuries which all occurred at the same time’. Remarkably, 80 patients with serious injuries were operated on within the first 48-hours of the fire.
Also, Dr Sharpe refined his invention for treating hand injuries, which involved bandaging the hands and elevating them using straps to prevent swelling, which aided the patient’s recovery. It was later named as “the Bradford Sling” and, after winning design awards, has been used to treat patients with hand injuries across the world.
David Sharpe was later made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire by the Queen, and helped set up the Plastic Surgery and Burns Research Unit at the University of Bradford thanks to the generous donations from members of the public to the Fire Disaster Appeal Fund. The Unit is still supported today by supporters, families and the football club.
Tales of Heroism, Community
and Resilience.
Rizwan Rehman was just a young boy, living next to the stadium, when the fire broke out. On the day of the fire, he was watching the Bradford City football match from the window in his attic. One police officer knocked on Rizwan’s door. The officer’s hair had caught fire and came into Rizwan’s house to put water on his head.
Rizwan said: ‘All of a sudden a little tragedy touched the hearts of lots of people and all the community got together—the Pakistani community, the Bangladeshi community all come together as well—helping the police, helping the fire service with whatever they could. With blankets. With food. With whatever’.
When Irshad Ullah heard about the fire, he and his wife went out of their house to give people water and blankets. Before the days of mobile phones, Irshad and his neighbours let football fans use their home phones to call their families and let them know they were okay.
After the fire was put out, the police began to search the streets for survivors. Slowly, people began to emerge from Bangladeshi homes, where they’d been looked after by local families.
The Manningham area of Bradford, close to the football ground, is home to a large Bangladeshi community. When the fire started, people came out of their homes to help in any way they could.
The local newspapers reported many stories of British Asian first-aiders who rushed to help people who were injured or in shock.
The police officer in charge of the investigation said: ‘They opened up their homes and offered kindness, drinks, comfort and first-aid’. Tea and water were served to help people in shock. Blankets and towels from people’s houses were torn up and made into bandages.
Haris Ali also lives near the stadium and remembered people coming out onto the street asking for help. The police were worried that Haris’ house would also catch on fire and told him to evacuate but he stayed to help. He said: ‘We gave as much as we could. Water, blankets, towels’.
Tales of Heroism, Community and Resilience.