Appeal to get WW2 London ambulance back on road

A fundraising appeal has been launched by the London Ambulance Service (LAS) to get its only remaining World War Two ambulance known to have been used in the Blitz back on the road.

The 90-year-old Clements Talbot vehicle, made from wood and steel, was used throughout the German bombing campaign and continued to serve London until about 1950.

The ambulance, which also featured in the 1969 Battle of Britain film and ITV drama Poirot, has been kept and "lovingly restored", but it can no longer be driven, the LAS said.

It wants to make the historic vehicle roadworthy again so it can be taken on a tour and seen by the public more often.

Craig Henty, head of the historic collection at the LAS, said: "We know it has made an incredible contribution to the city, particularly during the war when it was making frequent rescue missions through the streets of London as incendiary bombs were falling.

"But its age is now showing and it needs some very delicate and specialist work to get running again."

Mr Hendy has been working with motoring enthusiasts at the Talbot Owners' Club to identify how it can be made roadworthy.

Volunteers from the club have offered to work on it, but the LAS wants to raise £2,000 for bespoke parts to replace the fuel system and electrical circuitry.

If it can be fixed, the LAS wants to take the ambulance on a tour so that more people can see it, along with its original medical kit.

"Seeing a real relic from the war really helps to bring London's history to life," the service said.

This weekend, the ambulance is being taken to the National Trust's Ightham Mote property near Sevenoaks, Kent, to feature in its VE Day 80th anniversary commemorations.

Fully stocked with wartime medical supplies, it will be used in demonstrations about life on the Home Front during World War Two.

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