VE day: The 'revolutionary' facial reconstruction work that took place here in Sussex
As the country celebrates - we've been reflecting on pioneering work done at Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead to help veterans suffering severe burns
The work of a pioneering plastic surgeon - based in East Grinstead - to help veterans return to normality after the war is being remembered as the country marks VE day.
Celebrations are taking place in Sussex, with beacons being lit across the county, to mark 80 years since the announcement of Germany's official surrender.
As the country adjusted to post-war Britain, Sir Archibald McIndoe, based at Queen Victoria Hospital, was fixing the severe burn injuries obtained by servicemen in air raids and combat to help them return to normality as much as they could.
West Sussex County Council's Archivist, Matthew Jones told us he, alongside colleagues, was a "pioneer" in plastic sugery:
"So many RAF servicemen came down in their aircraft, and suffered terrible burns to their faces and to the backs of their hands.
"McIndoe and his team made huge strides.
"We've got the photographs of the treatment that these men undertook, from the moment they arrived at the hospital with their burns, all the way through the reconstructive surgery, to the point when they were able to leave the hospital and try and re-establish a normal life.
"All of that was pioneering. It was all brand new.
"It's nothing like the treatments you can get today, but in those days, this was just revolutionary."
"Incredible photographs"
He continued that the techniques were so new, that the photos of the work was branded the "Guinea Pig files":
"These RAF servicemen were given the nickname Guinea pigs.
"They're incredible photographs because they show the extent of their injuries when they arrived at the hospital all the way through to when they'd had their faces and hands reconstructed.
"They were actually really effective. And when you look at these photographs, you can see how a serviceman could go back to normal life."