Australian Army Ambulances

[Mike Cecil]

Thanks Richard, for the links. I had a feeling I had written something on ambulances in general, but couldn't remember the 'when and what'!!

Mike

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

Thank you Richard plus Richard and especially Mike for providing such detailed information. Thank you Richard F for sending the links to Mike's two articles.

Kind Regards
Lionel

[gjamo]

At the end of World War 2, as the ambulances from the returning hospital ship Oranje, and subsequent Hospital Ships, dispersed the wounded and ill servicemen around Melbourne, this scene was repeated many times in suburbs around Melbourne.

[Mike K]

That is a interesting pic. The car in the foreground appears to be a 1948 Humber Pullman Mk11 . The reg. plate on the Humber has three letters and numbers ?

[lynx42]

Originally Posted by Mike Kelly

That is a interesting pic. The car in the foreground appears to be a 1948 Humber Pullman Mk11 . The reg. plate on the Humber has three letters and numbers ?

You are right, Mike definitely a 1948-1951 Humber Pullman Mk.11 so the photo must be post 1948. The car behind it iis a 1935 Ford (Model 48) sedan.

The rego number on the Humber is WLA-337 which is a South Australian number.

1948-1957-humber-super-snipe-pullman-ii-iv-3608_3748_969X727.jpg

Regards Rick.

[Mike Cecil]

I don't know what the original caption for the image said, but HMAHS Oranje was returned to civilian service in late 1945, so the image has no relation to the transfer of patients by Aust ambulances from that vessel.

The ambulances shown (Aust No.1 and Aust No.2) plus some jeeps, all remained in service in the immediate post-war period, with the CMP Aust No.2 not being disposed of until the 1960s. Jeeps, also, were finally disposed of in the early 1960s, so a date of post 1948 (after the number plate on the Humber was issued) fits well with the MVs visible in the image.

Mike

[David Dunlop]

Immediately aft of the jeeps there seems to be a vehicle with an open body with people standing in it, followed by what looks like a large mass of people walking. Could this be a postwar parade?

If so, what sort of postwar parades were going on that might have involved such a large contingent of ambulances?

Quite a few people standing forward between parked vehicles to watch. That could support a parade, or, another possibility could be a local civil emergency that these military ambulances were responding to.

David