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ambulance station, whilst 48 of these hospitals were also benefiting from the arrangement
whereby one or more ambulance vehicles are stationed at the hospital for varying periods
on weekdays to convey patients to and fro on the instructions of the hospital Transport
Officer. The aim of these developments has been both to relieve the pressure on the
central control room and to economise in vehicle mileage and they have been well
received and indeed welcomed by the hospital officers concerned, for whose co-operation
I am most grateful.
Homecoming
of Her
Majesty the
Queen after
her tour of the
Commonwealth
The only Royal occasion during 1954 calling for special arrangements to ensure the
speedy removal of possible casualties from large crowds was that of the return on 15th
May of Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh after
their tour of the Commonwealth. The Royal Party arrived at Westminster Pier in the
afternoon and drove to Buckingham Palace via Whitehall, Trafalgar Square and the
Mall. Twelve ambulances, each with a double crew, were posted for duty at eight
St. John Ambulance Brigade dressing stations near the Royal Route but, fortunately, these
were called upon to remove nine casualties only. The number of accident section
ambulances on duty throughout the County was also increased on that day and the duty
hours of crews extended.
Visits of
inspection by
the Chairman
of the Health
Committee
During the summer recess, the Chairman of the Health Committee paid a series of
visits of inspection to establishments, including each of the six general section stations,
eight of the 18 accident section stations, the headquarters station and ' The Fourth Arms,'
the civil defence training centre. In her subsequent report the Chairman recorded her
pleasure and pride in the general state of efficiency of the service and commented upon the
smart bearing and alertness of the supervisory officers and of the ambulance crews, the
cleanliness of the vehicles and the clean and orderly appearance of the premises generally.
She took the opportunity of speaking with members of the operative staff from whom she
gained a further appreciation of the operational difficulties arising from the ever-increasing
pressure of work and of the problem of keeping in good order premises which, in many
cases, are very old and far from ideally suited to the present day needs of the service.
The Chairman also spoke with a number of volunteers in the ambulance section of the
Civil Defence Corps whom she met at stations where they were receiving practical
training.
Exhibitions
In addition to taking part in numerous Road Safety campaigns, the Service contributed
towards the interest of the Islington Health Exhibition, held in October. One
fully-equipped reserve accident ambulance was made available for inspection by visitors
throughout the period of the exhibition. There was also a stand devoted to photographs
and statistics relating to the work of the Service.
Major
accidents
One of the most serious accidents attended occurred on 9th January when 11 persons
suffering from severe gas poisoning were removed to hospital from a private address in
Battersea. Four ambulances were sent to the call and one attendant in particular earned
special commendation for his diligent administration of artificial respiration. There were
two fatalities.
Among other major accidents were :
8th January Outbreak of fire at the Polish Club, Knightsbridge;
five casualties taken to hospital.
5th February Explosion at private premises in Stour Road, Poplar;
five casualties taken to hospital.
30th April Collision between a trolleybus and a car outside Finsbury
Town Hall ; five casualties taken to hospital.
7th May Collision between a bus and a lorry outside Bow Railway
Station ; four casualties taken to hospital.
6th July Outbreak of fire in Adelaide Road, Hampstead ; eight
casualties removed, one of whom had been fatally
injured.
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