The Peanut Club
Created in 1931 by accident, the Pea-nut club was an organisation which had huge success in raising thousands of pounds for the Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead. This was the same hospital featured in last week’s blog post about the Guinea Pig Club and the pioneering plastic surgery carried out there by Archibald McIndoe.
The hospital had long needed a children’s ward and the money for this project was raised by the Pea-nut Club. A comic newspaper carried a parody article by Mrs Gordon Clemeston, offering a bag of peanuts to any child who gave twelve pennies to help fund the ward. When a young child arrived at a bank with the required pennnies demanding her bag of peanuts, Mrs Clemeston was quick to seize the opportunity. The offer was formalised and in seven years the enormous sum of £14,000 had been raised. While much attention was (deservedly) given to the injured airmen of the Guinea Pig Club, it is all too easy to forget the civilians, especially the children, injured during the Blitz and in domestic house fires which were then much more common than today.
The Pea-nut club lasted for many years beyond WWII and funded a range of gifts for children on the hospital’s Burns Ward. Some of the membership cards, letters and (rarest of all) birthday cards signed by ‘Aunt Agatha’, the pseudonym of Mrs Clemeston can be seen in the photos along with the highest level of membership, a gold peanut.
I was passed a book titled ‘Tickety-Tock and the Robber Fox’ by Aunt Agatha and signed by her in October 1932. Also a Pea-Nut Club badge and a penny. Dose the Club stil exist and would the items be of interest?
Hi Edward, I honestly don’t know if the Club still exists but I’m sure people with links to it would be interested in any related items you might have.
Hi,
I am a military historian and collector of the peanut club for a display I am working on. If you still have this book I would be very interested in purchasing it from yourself to add to the display. Please get in touch: zjjbrock@gmail.com
Hi. I have an enrolment form dated 25 November 1944 in my mother’s photo album. She was Wren Nannie Currie based in Scapa Flow with HMS Prosperine. Is this of interest? Regards. Fiona Newman. Renniefiona@hotmail.com
It was one shilling to join in New Zealand l signed up people in Napier nz if got 25 members you got a bage unfortunately l didn’t quite get there you had to get a special money order and post it to England
I still have my Peanut Club pin badge. The blue one with the peanut on it. I never knew the meaning of it until I found this site. Thank you
I have no plans to sell my Peanut Club badge, but does anyone know if it has any monetary value? Thanks
We have just found a pea nut club label badge in my mother’s old button box (dark blue – 1″ diameter)
I seem to remember it from between 1950 to 1955, never knew it’s meaning/history, so thank you, will now pass it on to my 50 year old son
I have an old, possibly ww2, ‘peanut’ medal that may have something to do with the club but I cannot find any reference to it anywhere.
It’s a metal peanut with an attached medal ribbon and a blank nameplate. Thoughts anyone?
I was born in December 1943 in Mayday Hospital South Croydon, with hare-lip and total cleft palate.
I well remember Mr McIndoe, and was a long-time patient of his. On several visits to his surgery (at aged about 2 or 3yrs old), he would position himself on the black shiny examination couch, his legs outstretched. His nurse then would lift me onto his legs so that we were face to face. This position made things easier for him to view his previous ‘work’ and make adjustments accordingly.
By the time I was 3 or 4, I was allowed to ‘help’ with the paper round in the mornings in the Canadian Wing of the hospital. The burnt airmen were always smiling and seemed happy to see us, often they were with arms or legs disfigured or ‘joining ‘ other parts of themselves for repair. Every black iron cot holding these lovely, cheerful men, had a crate of beer under it.
I still have my Pea-Nut badge…
I came across the red enamelled badge, sadly without the peanut hanging, in a box of ‘bits’ belonging to my Goldsmith husband.It was probably from a ‘haul ‘ of my parents- Grandparents. Would love to find a peanut to make it complete.
My great grand-uncle was Mr Guthrie Kirkhope. In 1939 he became the first “Grand Chief” of the East Grinstead Pea-Nut Club, described as having “boundless energy and enthusiasm”. He was Bursar at the Queen Elizabeth Cottage for many years. Fascinating to read the history and to know the Peanut Ward continues to this day providing specialist burns care.
After the war I 1954/6, I was in the peanut ward for children at East Grinstead hospital. I was operated on by the great Sir Archibald McCindo, think that is how it was spelt. I was there for about 8 weeks and still have my Peanut badge.
What an amazing family connection! Thanks for sharing this extra information, Sue. It’s always interesting when people contribute more details to our posts.
I still have my Pea-Nut Club badge. Until I googled it and found your page, I didn’t know that much about it until I read page.