Category: Classic Ambulance

CAU 263H
Ford Cortina
This ambulance car was converted by Herbert Lomas to be used by Vic Hallam Ltd of Langley Mill. It was later used by Heanor Division of St John Ambulance. In 2021 it joined the Great British Car Journey museum in Derbyshire.

GUW 365N
Lanarkshire Classic Ambulance Service
Ford Transit
Part of Lanarkshire classic car club

BLY 141Y
London Ambulance Service
Rover Metro
Now in preservation

OCT 946H
Lincs Kesteven County Council
BMC

B183 LBJ
St John Ambulance
Land Rover Defender

CUB 476Y
Yorkshire Regional Health Authority
Ford Transit

G562 VTR
Hampshire Ambulance Service
Leyland DAF

CYH 435V
Bedford CF / Wadham Stringer
With classic sliding door and two-tone horn on the roof

DXJ 523C
Bedford CA
Notice how the rear step covers the registration plate if it left in the down position

BWA 563G
British Army
Land Rover 108
Seen at the Llandudno Transport Festival 2018.

C191 YDU
RAF
Peugeot 505
Military Field Ambulance with Rootes bodywork

HUY 944K
Worcestershire Ambulance Service
Land Rover 109
On display at a show, complete with a terrifying mannequin

GNT 876D
Nottingham City Ambulance Service
Vauxhall Victor
This 1966 ambulance was purchased new by Shrewsbury Ambulance Service.

HUY 944K
Worcestershire Ambulance Service
Land Rover 109

City of London Police
A merged photograph of the past and today showing a City of London Police operated ambulance. This one was stationed at the rear of Bishopsgate Police Station.

01 GN 39
Land Rover Series III
Military ambulance in preservation

TKU 6Y
Leicestershire Ambulance Service
Ford Transit
It has a 3-litre engine and a 4 speed gearbox. It was built by Lomas and entered service at Hinkley in 1983. It was retired in 1990 and went into preservation in 2002.

G577 MWD
West Midlands Ambulance Service
Norton Commander
Paramedic motorbike now in preservation. This 1989 vehicle was when paramedics were new and there weren’t many in each ambulance service. Their specialist skills would see them travel in cars or on motorbikes across the county to the most serious ambulance calls.

C724 CWX
Ford Transit
Preserved and part of the fleet of the National Emergency Services Museum in Sheffield

South Yorkshire Ambulance Service
This horse-drawn carriage boasts that it was the first ambulance in Barnsley in 1885.

XPJ 898
City of Sheffield Ambulance Service
Austin Sheerline
Dating from 1950. This luxury vehicle was built by Lomas and weighs over two tonnes, making it somewhat cumbersome to drive at speed in a city centre.

XSJ 309, SXF 15
Austin K2 ambulance and BSA Motorbike

LCJ 481F
Hereford County Council
Bedford J1
Dating from 1967 and with Lomas bodywork. It has a 28 horsepower engine that has propelled the vehicle some 250k miles

CUB 476Y
Yorkshire Regional Health Authority
Ford Transit
Now in preservation

W97 EHR
Ford Transit
Ex-ambulance, now converted into a camper van

A570 SEV
Ford Transit
Funbalance

XPJ 898
City of Sheffield Ambulance Service
Austin Sheerline / Lomas

A recreation of an ambulance train. Long trains like this were used to evacuate sick and injured soldiers to safety UK during World War I in 1914-18. Inside were bunk beds, nurses and a small pharmacy.

These huge hospitals on wheels were built at an incredible speed by the railway companies across Britain before entering service in France as well as the UK.

The trains were tightly packed with patients scarred by wounds as well as memories. The men were cared for by staff who worked long hours under intense pressure.

Typically there would be 47 orderlies, 3 medical officer, 3 nurses and 3 chefs looking after an incredible 500 casualties. The philosophy was to carrying as many casualties as possible as it was better to transport many people in some discomfort than to leave people at the battle front casualty clearing stations.

Triple bunks were used to maximise the space. If there were a number of seated patients, then they would occupy the lower bunks and this could push the number of patients being carried up to 650.

A small pharmacy on board would attempt to provide basic comfort to the patients on board.

There was a lot of interest around the ambulance trains when they were designed and introduced. A number of public events were organised to give people the opportunity to take a look for themselves at this new approach to repatriating injured servicemen.

The nurses mess provided an area where the small number of nurses could have a short break from dealing with the traumatic scenes on board.

Train companies were able to quickly build these train at the outbreak of war in 1914 because the Government had given them advance notice. Secret drawings were passed to the managers of Britain’s railways in 1912.

With so much work to do in Britain, many railway workers were denied permission to join the army. Those who stayed behind wore badges to show they were involved in war work and avoid being branded as cowards.

J2043
RAF
Austin K2
Preserved military ambulance

BLY 141Y London Ambulance Service Austin Metro officer’s car dating from 1982

J25555 This is a preserved Morris Oxford ambulance car. It is a 1.6 litre model that was new in 1969. The mileage is very low at just 12,500 miles, partly because it was based on the island of Jersey.



Another view of the Morris. The signage shows it was part of St. John Ambulance Brigade.



A closer look at the emergency warning light on the roof mounted on top of a specially crafted roof box.

GFB 638W or 06 AF 33 This Bedford CF2 ambulance is an ex-RAF vehicle, hence the dual registration plates (for show only). It started life in 1981 in London and was decommissioned in 1992.

93 AA 13 This Land Rover Series 2 ambulance was previously used by the RAF, entering service in 1969 and retired in 1983. The vehicle is now preserved with its original RAF paint scheme.

RBH 540D This is a preserved Vauxhall Victor that was originally purchased from Bridge Motors, Windsor, Berks and spent all of its working life with Slough Estates Ltd. on the Slough Trading Estate. It later moved to Northumberland County Council’s Ambulance Service.  Notice the roof-top storage box and Winkworth warning bell on the front grille.

One of the forerunners of the motorised ambulance is this wheeled stretcher. Looking like a child’s pram, it can accommodate one recumbent casualty. Retractable legs allow it to be stood still. Traveling over cobbled streets in this would have been a bone-shaking experience!

VHO 232H This old BMC ambulance has had all of the ‘ambulance’ wording removed and is now in private use. All that remains is one of its blue lights on the bonnet.

UOA 585 This green Austin Princess ambulance was new in 1956. t was painted green to distinguish it from front line ambulances. It worked until 1979 as a factory ambulance for Hardy Spicer, Chester Road, Birmingham. It then passed through the hands of a number of preservationists who worked to restore it to its original condition. Notice the warning bell on the front bumper.

H537 GPD was the first motorcycle to be used by London Ambulance Service to respond to emergencies. It is now a preserved vehicle in the service’s museum.



The rear view of the Norton showing the panniers built into the motorcycle body.

M762 LPB The Nortons were replaced in the 1990’s by Honda ST1100 Pan-Europeans. This vehicle dates from 1994/95.

JXP 63 is a Daimler ambulance that dates from 1949 and was also used in London. Notice how the warning bell is mounted on the front above the bumper and that there are no rotating beacons on the vehicle.

ELN 235Y is a Mercedes 250 LWB ambulance dating from 1983 which was operated by St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in London.

HUC 999W is a former London Ambulance Service Control Unit from 1982. When this Ford based van left the front line ambulance fleet it was kept fully operational so it cold be used in the case of a major emergency.



The rear of the van has two telescoping communication aerials which would be raised once the control is established at an incident.

J529 OPM is a Renault Espace which was also used by the LAS. The green and white chequers on the roof signify that this vehicle was used as a control unit.



The rear view of the Espace.



This view shows the roof mounted telescopic tower extended in order for the vehicle to be spotted at a major incident. Like the Ford above, it has been kept fully operational.

MMF 477L is a Peugeot/Reeve Sovam Concorder Mk 1 prototype ambulance. This ambulance was seen as very futuristic when it was new in 1972.

B322 DPK is a Bedford CF2 ambulance which was typical of London Ambulance Services fleet from the 1980’s.

KGY 597D is a Land Rover Series 2 control unit formerly used by LAS. The large wing mounted mirrors are to help the driver when the vehicle is towing the trailer shown below.



This trailer would have been towed by a similar Land Rover to that above and contains vital emergency equipment.

394 BXA This ex-front line London Ambulance is one of the most filmed emergency vehicle in the UK. It has appeared in numerous TV shows and films

437 BXA is a sister vehicle of the above. It is a preserved 1959 London Ambulance that was used in Wandsworth borough. Notice the bell mounted on the bonnet.

AEF 732C Moving even further back in time, this is a 1965 Commer ambulance maintained by Tees, East and North Yorkshire ambulance service. It has a top speed of 45 mph and throughout its life has only clocked up 8,000 miles.



Inside the back, showing the archaic equipment. This vehicle has been owned by the Civil Defence Corps, Hartlepool Ambulance Service and Cleveland Ambulance Service (all now defunct). The photos here shown it in 2005.

TRB 742R Here is a rusting Ford Transit ambulance at Barrow Hill near Chesterfield.

74 GJ 17 is a 1977 Landrover V8 ambulance. This left-hand drive vehicle was built for the British army and used during the Gulf War in 1991. It left active service in 1992 for civilian use.

SVN 851K An army Landrover ambulance.



The rear view showing the bodywork added to the Landrover chassis.

CSU 597 A rare sight on UK roads is this USA army ambulance. It is registered, owned and kept in the UK by an enthusiast.



The opposing view, showing the back doors create a huge red cross sign and the fuel can and tools strapped to the side of the vehicle.