Australian Army Ambulances

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

Does anyone know whether there were any other types of ambulance in operation by the Australian Army between the World War II CMP Ford and Chevrolet or Jeep ambulances and the introduction of the Series 2 and 2A Land Rover in the 1960s?

Here are some photographs from World War II to the 1960s... all sourced from the Australian War Memorial Collections accessed June 15th 2018, from:

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C196293 (Jeep)
https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C203029 (Ford)
https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C51074 (Land Rover).

Kind regards
Lionel

[Mike Cecil]

Yes.

How about 'lots' as an answer? Not in the office to be more definitive.

The AWM collection of images is primarily interested/focused on war and warlike operations, so much of the peace-time equipment is not featured/recorded.

Mike

[Richard Farrant]

Mike Cecil wrote a two part article on Australian ambulances for KVE News about 4 years ago, I have attached a direct link to it here, it is on the Corowa Swim-In website. This is Part 1 ;

https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/49442...c2c8340657.pdf

As you will see in the download there were some Austin K2 ambulances in service in Australia during WW2.

Part 2, which covers from 1956 to 2012 is here:

https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/49442...a03c3c1681.pdf


regards, Richard

[Richard Coutts-Smith]

Hi Lionel,
Austin Champ (including the Australian army) had a kit that enabled two stretchers to be carried lengthwise behind the driver, this included an extension for the soft top so they were enclosed. Some kits were a curio found in the surplus sales unused, and involved a lot of head scratching to work out how it all worked. I have seen one poor photo of an ambulance Champ lined up in convoy, having trouble locating it though.
So this would be 1956 and a very brief period after....
Rich.
Additional- Can't find the Aussy pic, but this is a British one, would have been the same kit.

[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.



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

[Alastair Thomas]

In the 1960s my Father accompanied elements of the British army into the Libyan desert for training. Here is a picture of one of their vehicles; an ambulance variant of the Champ.
Alastair
F60S

[Richard Coutts-Smith]

Hi Alastair,
That is a great photo, terrific colour quality as well. Two Humbers in the background is a bonus,
Not sure about the aerodynamics....
Rich.

[lynx42]

This jeep ambulance is one of many in New Guinea which were converted to ambulance mode.



My father was in charge of the vehicles with the 2/7th Independent Co (Commandos) in New Guinea and Papua and I remember him saying that it was an official order to convert all jeeps to carry stretcher patients, so I guess that this is how it was done.

Over to you Mike C.

Regards Rick

[Alastair Thomas]

I'm not good at interpreting insignia and was hoping someone would help. I do remember my Father accompanying both the 6th RTR and the Green Howards on desert trips.
On one trip a Bedford 3 tonner ran a big end South of El Agheila so they left a sergent REME and a driver with it with the promise that they would pick them up on the way back if the truck could not be fixed. When they got back the truck had already left and got back to Tripoli. They had used cigarette packet foil as a temporary repair to the big end bearing.

[Mike Cecil]

Interesting, Rick,

From part 1 of my article:

"While both the No.1 and No.2 ambulances were very capable, they simply could not operate far enough forward in jungle operations to retrieve the wounded. The answer was to adapt the ubiquitous ‘Truck ¼ ton’ as a forward
ambulance. Able to negotiate narrow, muddy jungle tracks like no other vehicle on the inventory, the humble jeep became the ambulance of choice in jungle operations. Various configurations, both official and unofficial, were designed for the jeep, the final one being a two-tiered tubular framework that converted the standard jeep into a three-stretcher ambulance. It was officially designated the ‘Gear, Supporting Stretchers Light (Aust) No.3’, and was easily installed by a forward area workshop. The ‘jeep ambulance’ literally performed life-saving work – many a wounded Digger was transported to the primary care of a casualty clearing station by a jeep ambulance."

The image looks similar to a No.3 stretcher frame, as mentioned above, with the external stowage on the jeep adapted to fit.

Mike

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

After an eight year search and a couple of disappointments I have a 1963 Land Rover 2A Ambulance sitting at my home. After some research and links with a number of people I have obtained photographs of the ambulance during its military service. I also have met one of the Ambulance's former medics.

I took the liberty to give the ambulance a name... "Lazarus". This is because it has had a hard life since its military days to the extent it will require a LOT of work to bring it back to fine fettle.

Part of the after military life involved trips along beaches. Unfortunately this did not involve being hosed off after such trips. The result is a "Swiss Cheese" effect where there are more rust holes than metal in the bulkhead/firewall. I took a round trip of 8 hours last weekend to secure a replacement bulkhead.

The engine will need a rebuild. When I pulled out the dipstick it brought up a nice yoghurt coating. All in all it is a "long-term" project.

Its Army Registration Number (ARN) according to the nomenclature plates was 112-211. The vehicle was attached to the 11th Field Ambulance Transport The cabin doors still have a stencil showing "11 FD AMB TPT".

The last photograph is an one of the "in-service" shots. The bloke sitting on top of the ambulance is Chris; and he paid had a reunion with his old ambulance here at home about a month ago.

Kind regards
Lionel

[Paul Dutton]

Unusual on the jeep picture. The British ambulance jeep moved the rear wheel to the front grill, better use of space as two stretchers can fit on the bottom, two on the top and if need be, one across the bonnet (hood&#128540

[Richard Farrant]

Originally Posted by Paul Dutton

Unusual on the jeep picture. The British ambulance jeep moved the rear wheel to the front grill, better use of space as two stretchers can fit on the bottom, two on the top and if need be, one across the bonnet (hood&#128540

As the Australian jeep ambulances were working in the jungles of New Guinea, putting the spare wheel in front of the radiator would inhibit cooling in a hot climate and slow speeds.

[rupert condick]

Hi Lionel
Makes used in Australia,
Dodge,International, Austin,Ford, Chevrolet,GMC.
overseas,
could be anything,
Morris commercial,
I will see if I can attach some pics, I am not good on makes.




regs Rupert

[Konstantin Chernov]

In these photos - the Australian army ?
1.Chevrolet M1941. The numeric index is unknown to me.
2.British Ford E018T ?
3.Chevrolet CC60L.

[Richard Farrant]

Originally Posted by Konstantin Chernov

In these photos - the Australian army ?
1.Chevrolet M1941. The numeric index is unknown to me.
2.British Ford E018T ?
3.Chevrolet CC60L.

From their hats, I would say New Zealand Army

[rupert condick]

hi
nice pictures Of the "British American Ambulance Corps" note this has been painted over.

One of the drivers examines the name of the donor of an ambulance donated to 2 NZEF. Ten ambulances from the USA (Anzac War Relief Funds Board) were handed over by the Hon. F Waite, Overseas Commissioner to the NZ Patriotic Fund Board, to Brigadier K McCormick, DSO, ADMS. Taken at Maadi circa 1 July 1941 by an official photographer.

regs
Rupert

[Konstantin Chernov]

Originally Posted by Richard Farrant

From their hats, I would say New Zealand Army

Thank you. Did I identify the vehicles correctly ?

[rupert condick]

hi I think you are correct fords and chevy's

[Mike K]

Albury ski club trip in 1948

https://victoriancollections.net.au/...016db0244b9b6e

https://victoriancollections.net.au/...5fecd3b2dc1156

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by rupert condick

hi
nice pictures Of the "British American Ambulance Corps" note this has been painted over.

One of the drivers examines the name of the donor of an ambulance donated to 2 NZEF. Ten ambulances from the USA (Anzac War Relief Funds Board) were handed over by the Hon. F Waite, Overseas Commissioner to the NZ Patriotic Fund Board, to Brigadier K McCormick, DSO, ADMS. Taken at Maadi circa 1 July 1941 by an official photographer.



regs
Rupert

Were these Indian Pattern Ambulances built in Australia and shipped to New Zealand? Or built in N.Z. ? The wheels and hubs appear to be Australian Pattern. Where were these Ambulances 'handed over' in the M.E. , or in New Zealand ?

[Mike K]

Pre war Bedford Ambulance . It is listed in the AWM 126 books as a 30 cwt WS model.

https://collection.sl.nsw.gov.au/record/94R7XBk1

[Mike K]

Austins in Sydney, NSW. 1942