American Ambulance Great Britain

Last updated
American Ambulance Great Britain
Founded1940
FocusHumanitarian
Area served
United Kingdom
MethodEmergency casualty transport
Two members of the AAGB stand by their Austin K2/Y ambulance, waiting for casualties as rescue work takes place after a V-1 flying bomb strike in Upper Norwood in South London (1944) Flying Bomb- V1 Bomb Damage in London, England, UK, 1944 D21236.jpg
Two members of the AAGB stand by their Austin K2/Y ambulance, waiting for casualties as rescue work takes place after a V-1 flying bomb strike in Upper Norwood in South London (1944)

American Ambulance, Great Britain (AAGB) (sometimes wrongly referred to as the Anglo-American Ambulance Unit) was a humanitarian organisation founded in 1940 by a group of Americans living in London for the purpose of providing emergency vehicles and ambulance crews to the United Kingdom during World War II. The idea for the service came from Gilbert H. Carr during a meeting of The American Society in London shortly after the Dunkirk evacuation.

Contents

Funding came from private donations, both from Americans expatriates living in the United Kingdom and from the United States and the organisation was headed by Wallace B. Phillips (Joseph P. Kennedy, then United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom, was Honorary Chairman). Within six weeks of being set up £140,000 had been raised. By the end of 1940 the organisation had raised $856,000. [1]

American Ambulance, Great Britain eventually operated a fleet of around 300 vehicles. [2]

Organisation

Members of the American Ambulance, Great Britain, run to their vehicles, 1941 The work of the Anglo-american Ambulance Unit in Britain, 1941 D3996.jpg
Members of the American Ambulance, Great Britain, run to their vehicles, 1941

The American Ambulance, Great Britain, operated from 17 stations across mainland Britain with five located in London and one each in Cardiff, Cambridge, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Reading and Tunbridge Wells.

For most of the War, the headquarters were at 9 Grosvenor Gardens in London, formerly the offices of The Pyrene Company Limited. In March 1945 it moved to 44 Lower Belgrave Street. [3]

Personnel

The ambulance staff were British women aged between 18 and 45 and numbered around 400, [2] some of whom were seconded from the Mechanised Transport Corps (for Women) and the Women's Transport Services (FANY). [4] Members of the AAGB wore the tunic and skirt uniform as worn by those in the FANY but with crossed British and American flags on the sleeve. All training was undertaken in Leeds.

During the course of the war, at least two members of the organisation were killed on active service:

Vehicles

An AAGB Austin K2/Y ambulance attending the aftermath of a V-1 attack in Upper Norwood, London, 1944 Flying Bomb- V1 Bomb Damage in London, England, UK, 1944 D21247.jpg
An AAGB Austin K2/Y ambulance attending the aftermath of a V-1 attack in Upper Norwood, London, 1944
AAGB staff wash a Surgical Unit car, a Packard Super Eight, London 1944 Flying Bomb- V1 Bomb Damage in London, England, UK, 1944 D21226.jpg
AAGB staff wash a Surgical Unit car, a Packard Super Eight, London 1944

All the AAGB's vehicles were painted grey with a red strip and an emblem featuring the British and American flags. Depending on the purpose several types of vehicle were operated by the AAGB

Maintenance

The cost of maintaining the vehicles was met via subscriptions managed through the British War Relief Society of America.

See also

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References

  1. Merle Curti (29 September 2017). American Philanthropy Abroad. Taylor & Francis. p. 420. ISBN   978-1-351-53248-8.
  2. 1 2 D. Collett Wadge (1946). Women in Uniform. Imperial War Museum. p. 386. ISBN   978-1-901623-61-1.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "The Organisation". American Ambulance Great Britain. 2020-01-01. Retrieved 2020-08-01.
  4. Brayley, Martin (20 July 2012) [2005]. The British Home Front 1939-45. Elite 109 (ebook (ePub) ed.). Osprey Publishing. p. 54. ISBN   978-1-78200-123-2.
  5. "The Blitz Around Britain". Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
  6. "Officer Ensign Marjory Stewart Butler". American Ambulance Great Britain. 2018-07-02. Retrieved 2020-07-26.
  7. "Casualty Details: Stewart Butler, Marjorie". Commonwealth War Graves Commission . Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  8. "Colonel R. B. Butler" . The Times. No. 53809. London. 1957-04-06. p. 11.
  9. "Casualty Details: Stewart Butler, Leonard Maurice". Commonwealth War Graves Commission . Retrieved 2023-09-12.
  10. 1 2 "Casualty Details: Daly, Helen". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 24 April 2021.