Celebrating our history at the City of London annual Cart Marking ceremony

Our 1949 Daimler ambulance was one of the stars of the show at this year’s annual Cart Marking ceremony hosted by the City of London.

Chief Executive, Garrett Emmerson, was joined by the lead of our historic collection, Andy Whatling, at the event, which is thought to be the oldest vehicle licensing ceremony in the world. Read more about the Cart Marking story here.

Ambulances have been part of London’s history since the use of horse-drawn carts back at the turn of the 20th century, so we were delighted to take part in the City of London’s annual Cart Marking event. Click here to read more about our history.

Speaking after the ceremony at Guildhall Yard, Garrett said: “It’s a real privilege to have been invited as an ambulance service to take part today.

“One of the things I was most inspired by when I became Chief Executive is the fact that we have a fantastic historic collection, not just of vehicles that go back to the earliest days of ambulances in London, but also collections of motorised vehicles that span every decade.

“Being able to celebrate our history and being part of London’s heritage here today in the company of so many other splendid vehicles that are taking part has been a real highlight of my time with London Ambulance Service so far.

“It’s also a testament of the work by so many people, including our volunteers and staff, to preserve our history; not just our vehicles but also artifacts, uniforms and all the things that make this organisation as special as it is today.”

Some interesting facts about our 1949 Daimler:

• It has a top speed of 75 mph
• It’s fully kitted out with original equipment
• The beds in the back are fixed to the floor meaning the patient had to be lifted on a stretcher
• 499 Daimler ambulances were built and the one in our collection is number 0001 so the first one built
• You can find out more about our historic collection by visiting its Facebook page or contacting [email protected]