Former ambulance man is guest of honour at 60th anniversary celebration

A 93-year-old former ambulance attendant raised the flag at a special anniversary celebration to commemorate 60 years since London Ambulance Service was formed.

Ron Davis attended a ceremony at the Waterloo headquarters of London Ambulance Service which saw staff past and present gather to mark the milestone yesterday (1 April).

Ron had been working on ambulances for nearly 10 years when nine ambulance services amalgamated in 1965 to form a service to cover the whole of London.

Ron said: “Back then all the different areas had different uniforms, different equipment, different vehicles. But they amalgamated into one which was remarkable.”

At that time Ron was working on a Morris ‘Wandsworth’ ambulance – nicknamed after the borough it was built in.

The Wandsworth ambulance had two stretcher beds fixed to the vehicle and a traditional front-mounted bell was used when responding to an emergency call. It was too quiet for London’s rowdy streets so the horn on the cab roof was an amplifier for the bell.

Ron added: “When we went to patients we used to put on our satchel which was full of bandages. We had extra supplies on the ambulance and we had a ‘poisons’ case – which had antidotes to most poisons.

“I remember one of them was vinegar and we used to use it for our fish and chips… which we weren’t supposed to do.”

When he retired in 1991 after 37 years of service, Ron had not been able to collect his ceremonial bell which is given to all colleagues who have served 25 years on their retirement.

The bell is a replica of the one on the Wandsworth ambulance.

Ron was presented with the ceremonial bell at yesterday’s ceremony by Deputy Chief Paramedic Alison Blakely.

“What a coincidence!”

As the pair chatted, they discovered that they are related to each other by marriage.

Alison said: “What a coincidence! And all those years ago he started at the same ambulance station where I started my career with London Ambulance Service. It has been incredible to meet him and hear his stories.”

Alison and Ron raised the flag together before Ron gave a salute. He then toured the building, meeting current staff and reminiscing about the past.

 

Ron said meeting Her Majesty, The Queen when she visited in the 1970s was a particular highlight.

Ron said: “People who had responded to the IRA bombings were selected to meet her. She immediately put me at ease and it was wonderful meeting her. It was quite an honour.”

 

Rakesh Patel, Deputy Chief Executive of London Ambulance Service, had opened the ceremony.

He said: “I want to thank Ron and all our former colleagues who have joined us today and given so many years of service.

“I also want to say a huge thank you to everyone working for the Service today, who dedicate their working lives to helping others.”

The ceremony was followed with a pop up event organised by London Lifesavers trainers who taught members of the public the simple skills needed to save a life.

For those who were unable to attend the pop up session, this video will teach you how to give CPR and use a defibrillator. Details of future events can be found here.

To help us place defibrillators in the heart of every community you can donate at the London Ambulance Charity website.

ENDS