1 April 2011

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THE Princess Royal visited the Meridian Hall in March to mark the 50th anniversary of the Blond McIndoe unit at the Queen Victoria hospital.

After landing on the East Court estate by helicopter Princess Anne was welcomed by a line-up which included Mayor Stephen Barnett.

Among the other guests at the reception were Dame Vera Lynn, hospital staff and six of the burned airmen who were among pioneering surgeon Archie McIndoes original guinea pigs.

The Princess saw a fly-past by a Spitfire, and unveiled a painting of a Spitfire by artist David Shephard which will hang in the Blond McIndoe unit.

Cllr Stephen Barnett, who chose the unit as one of the charities for his mayoral year, said the reception had been a wonderful way to mark the unit’s half a century, and the realisation of McIndoe’s dream for a research unit at the QVH.