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Operational—Since the closure of the Battersea accident ambulance station in 1956 for
rebuilding, the new Upper Richmond Road accident station has provided cover for the
Putney, Wandsworth and Battersea areas. The rebuilding of the Battersea station began
during the year and will provide an enlarged station from which three vehicles will operate
instead of two as formerly. It is anticipated that the new station will be completed towards
the end of 1961. In the meantime an ambulance has been stationed at the Battersea General
hospital in order to provide a flexible 24-hour accident service in the borough of Battersea,
and I am most grateful to the Battersea and Putney Group Hospital Management Committee
and to the Secretary of the Battersea General hospital for making this temporary
arrangement possible and for helping to ensure its continued successful operation.
Radio-telephony—During the year the installation of radio-telephony equipment was
extended to all the accident section vehicles operating from stations north of the Thames.
Vehicles—By the end of the year a total of 64 Daimlers, located at the North Western
ambulance station and at a number of accident stations, had been replaced by new-type
Austin ambulances in accordance with the vehicle replacement programme and six new
15/16 seat Bedford coaches were brought into service.
The vehicle strength for the year 1960/61 was:
Large ambulances 250
Single stretcher, sitting case ambulances 62
Sitting case cars 25
Ambulance coaches 6
Tenders 2
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Staff—The service is under the supervision of an Officer-in-Charge and is staffed by 28
administrative and clerical staff, 77 ambulance control clerks and 783 supervisory and
operative staff. There was a steady fall in recruitment during 1960, resulting in a deficiency
at the end of the year of 70 ambulance driver/attendants.
Award of resuscitation certificates—Two drivers in the accident section of the service
were awarded the Royal Humane Society's resuscitation certificate during the year.
Safe driving—60 per cent. of the 765 drivers who entered the National Safe Driving
Competition held by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents in 1959 gained
awards, 23 per cent. were disqualified and 17 per cent. were accounted for by resignations
and by exemption owing to prolonged sickness.
Civil Defence
In the course of the year the strength of the Ambulance and First Aid Section increased
from 1,600 to 1,678.
During the year, 411 persons were enrolled but 333 persons resigned.
The following courses were held during 1960:
Introductory 7
First-aid 12
Ambulance section—part (1) 13
Ambulance section—part (2) 11
Driving and maintenance 9
Officer selection 6
First-aid practical revision 1
After a total of 1,035 hours' instruction by the British School of Motoring 38 volunteers
passed the Ministry of Transport driving test.
A total of 2,564 hours' driving practice on various types of ambulance was put in by
volunteers holding driving licences and 185 tests were passed on such vehicles.
Volunteers visit the Council's accident ambulance stations to see casualty work at first
hand and the number of such attendances in 1960 was 566 covering 1,362 hours.
Members of the Section took part in many exercises and displays and, in addition, an
internal competition between teams of the Ambulance & First Aid Section of the County
of London division was organised.
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