London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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London County Council 1946

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]

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63
Special arrangements were made to strengthen the accident section in anticipation
of increased demands being made on the service on the occasion of the Victory
Day celebrations on 8th June, 1946. Council ambulances and crews were in operation
on special duty at the St. John Ambulance Brigade and British Red Cross Society
dressing stations along the route of the procession from 6 a.m. and during the morning
and again at special points during the aquatic display in the evening.
Former members of the London Auxiliary Ambulance Service, both men and
women, represented that service in the civilian contingents of the Mechanised and
Marching Columns.
On Victory Day there were 250 calls to accidents and emergencies; on the
following day, Whit Sunday, there were 173 and on Whit Monday, 10th June, 1946,
there were 148 calls. These compare with a daily average of emergency calls of 141
for the first five months of 1946.

By comparison the figures for Coronation Day, V.E. Days and V.J. Days were:—

Coronation Day12th May, 1937457
V.E. Day8th May. 1945241
9th May, 1945205
V.J. Day15th August, 1945226
16th August, 1945172

An ambulance and crew participated in the Motor Industry's Jubilee London
Cavalcade on 27th July, 1946. After an inspection by H.M. The King in Regent's
Park, the vehicles formed a procession which was routed through the west end of
London, and later were on show to the public in Regent's Park.
Ambulances were provided for short periods to Wandsworth and Battersea
Borough Councils in connection with their Road Safety Campaigns in June and
September, 1946, respectively.
Seven ambulances were despatched to the scene of an accident at Catford
Bridge on 20th September, 1946, when the 2.10 p.m. train from Victoria to Ramsgate
became derailed. Considering the size and nature of the accident, casualties were
remarkably light. They were: 1 killed, 16 injured taken to hospital. A letter of
appreciation of the efficient services rendered by the London Ambulance Service was
received from the Southern Railway Company.
The Council agreed revised reciprocal arrangements in respect of accident section
ambulances with Penge Urban District Council and the Borough of Beckenham on
the operation of a combined ambulance service by these two authorities.

Comparative statistics for the years 1938 to 1946 are as follows:— Accident Section

No. of callsNo. of casesMileage
193856,31858,196293,166
193955,26854,323269,947
*194044,70045,600211,000
194137,34438,545182,252
194237,78838,659193,975
194341,40542,217207,950
194443,79844,878224,958
194552,13653,452286,281
194656,97158,551321,951

* Actual figures are available for the period 5th February to 31st December, 1940, only. A proportionate
estimate has been included in the figures shown to cover the period 1st January to 4th February,
1940.