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As from the 1st March, 1943, Wembley
Hospital undertook the treatment of walking
wounded air raid casualties as part of
their normal functions under the Emergency
Hospital Scheme.
For some time the National Fire
Service had been finding difficulty in
arranging personnel to man the civil
ambulances during the whole 24 hours and at
the request of the Column Officer an agreement
was made according to which during the
break periods of the National Fire Service
personnel allocated to the ambulances,
relief was provided from the staffs on
duty at the Ambulance Depots. This afforded
a useful introduction of the Civil Defence
personnel to the duties of the Ambulance
Service which on loth June, 1943 was transferred
from the Wembley and Kingsbury Fire
Stations to the 2 Civil Defence Ambulance
Depots, the Civil Defence personnel manning
the ambulances and the Service becoming one
administered by the Public Health Department.
With the continued reduction in
ambulance personnel suitable ambulance
attendants have been taught to drive so that
in an emergency the greatest possible
number of vehicles may be made available
immediately. The role to be played by the
part-time personnel at Ambulance Depots has
continued to increase in importance and
training has been given at the Depots over
a period of 28 weeks according to -
55.