Mountain rescue ambulances

During World War Two, the Royal Air Force trained pilots in low-level flying techniques in the isolated and mountainous areas of Wales and, inevitably there were difficulties in finding and evacuating any survivors of downed aircraft, regardless of whether or not they were injured. In 1942, to help overcome this problem, Flight-Lieutenant F. W. Graham, who was based at RAF Llandwrog near Caenarvon, North Wales established the first dedicated RAF mountain rescue service. A Jeep was used as a scouting vehicle, with Humber trucks to effect the rescues. The team picked up its first casualty in July 1943 and, within a year, more than 30 aircrew had been located and evacuated.

Responsibility for the rescue work passed to the Air Ministry in 1944, and the original team was relocated to Valley on the Isle of Anglesey, by 1950 there were nine teams at work. The Jeep retained its pivotal role in the rescue teams, but was now supplemented by Humber 4x4 ambulances and four-wheel drive trucks.

By the mid-1950s it was obvious that the Jeep was obsolete, and the RAF drew up a specification for a purpose-designed mountain rescue vehicle to be constructed on a long-wheelbase Series 1 chassis. With the combination of all-wheel drive and a spacious ambulance body, it was hoped that the Land Rover could fulfil the search and rescue roles of the Jeep, the ambulance and the accompanying trucks.

The first batch of 11 vehicles was supplied in 1956, with another 14 a year later.

The chassis selected for the role was the 107in (2.72m) long-wheelbase design - the Rover Mk 4.

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The Carter stretcher gear had originally been desired to allow World War Two Jeeps to be converted to field ambulance form.

It was subsequently adapted for both the Land Rover and the Austin Champ and saw limited service. aM)

Above: A standard RAF mountain rescue ambulance on a Series II chassis. (PW)

No changes were made to the technical specification, and the engine was the standard 1,997cc four-cylinder 52bhp petrol unit driving through a four-speed gearbox and two-speed transfer case. Despite the additional demands for electric power, the standard 12V system was retained.

At the rear, there was a full-width box-shaped insulated aluminium body, with a domed Luton cab roof, initially constructed by Bonallack & Sons of Basildon, Essex. Small, shuttered windows were installed high in the body sides towards the rear and there were windows in the rear doors. A hot-water interior heating system was installed, with twin blowers to distribute heat around the interior. Inside, the body provided accommodation for a driver and medical officer in the cab, and either six seated cases, two stretcher cases and an attendant, or three seated patients together with a stretcher case and an attendant. Two bunk-like stretchers were carried on fixed frames running along the sides of the body. There was no direct access from the cab, but there were side-hinged double doors at the rear, with a full-width fold-down step.

External lockers were fitted on either side ahead of the rear wheel arches.

With an overall length of 190in (4.8m), compared to 183in (4.67m) for the standard long-wheelbase cargo vehicle, combined with a height of 90in (2.3m), an increase in width of lOin (25.4cm), and a huge rear over-hang, the vehicle looked decidedly over-bodied. However, the body length was actually determined by the dimensions of the standard NATO stretcher, and even the front seats had to be moved forward to provide sufficient clearance.

When the Series I was replaced by the Series II in 1958, production simply continued using the long-wheelbase Series II chassis, then the Series IIA, and the Series III.

Aside from the obvious changes in the appearance of the front end of the Series II vehicles, there were important visual changes to the rear body. These included a reduction in overall height to allow transport in heavy-lift aircraft of the period, the addition of a second side window in the rear body, placed towards the front end, and the inclusion of an angled cut-away at the rear to improve the departure

Top: The addition of Makrolon composite armour indicates that this Series II-based ambulance served in Northern Ireland. (PW)

Angle. Larger-section tyres were used - 7.50x16 rather than the more usual 7.00x16. Both the front and rear axles were reinforced, with the addition of anti-roll bars to improve ride comfort and safety. Series II and IIA-based RAF ambulances were generally fitted with a full-width welded radiator guard.

The interior of the body was changed to accommodate four stretcher patients around 1964 and, by this time, Mickleover Transport, Park Royal Vehicles and Marshalls of Cambridge were building the bodies.

Through all of the chassis changes, the design of the ambulance body remained virtually unchanged until the introduction of the Defender 130 ambulance and the subsequent Wolf XD-130 in 1997.