Old Holden Ambulances -
Holden Panel Van and Standard Ambulances (up to 1974 HJ Holden Ambulance
onwards)
Holdens
have always been very popular vehicles for ambulance use in
James
Alexander Holden established a saddlery and leather goods business in
Holden
produced its first car body in 1914 after diversifying their product
range. They commenced large-scale
production in 1917 to satisfy increased wartime demand. Holden's Motor Body Builders started
operation in 1918 and Holden's plant at Woodville opened in 1924, producing
more than 22,000 bodies in its first year of operation. Holden’s at Woodville soon became the
exclusive Australian source of bodies for General Motors Corporation.
In 1926,
General Motors Australia started and merged five years later with Holden’s
Motor Body Builders to form General Motors-Holden's. While the idea of an all-Australian car was
first dreamed off in the late 1930s, the essential demands of the Second World
War intervened. Eventually this ambition was realized in November 1948, when
the 48-215 or FX commenced production.1
Most
of the Holden ambulances used in
1948
48-215 or FX Holden – No Station Wagons and no Panel Vans were produced
1953 FJ Holden – Panel Vans were produced (however there was only one
station wagon made according to The FJ Holden–A Favourite Australian Car
written by Don Loffler) – SA Ambulance Panel Van pictures wanted if available.
1956 FE Holden – Panel Vans and Station Wagons were produced – SA
Ambulance Pictures Wanted
1958 FC Holden
Ambulance Pictures
Car 14 an
FC Holden Station Wagon of the St.John Ambulance – Transport Division with a
domed beacon and very pronounced roof mounted siren, and what appears to be a
driver’s door wind deflector (
Car 6 an
FC Holden ambulance of the St.John Ambulance Transport Division (registration number
14-943) – note the different siren to the one above (
An old
FC Holden ambulance, which appears to be parked at the Hindmarsh Depot, with
the attendant entry door open, showing the right hand side ‘jump-seat’ (
An old
FC Holden ambulance showing the stretcher and the dashboard detail, with the
right hand side ‘jump-seat’ back folded down (
1960 FB Holden Ambulance
Pictures
Holden
FB Ambulance Car 30 (registration number 19-066), this vehicle has a chrome
siren unit and dome rotating beacon with a repeater above the number
plate. This B&W photo was taken in
the same place as the EK Below. Note the
different body style of what appears to be a window van rather than the station
wagon in the EK photos (
1961 EK Holden Ambulance
Pictures
An EK Holden of the St.John Ambulance Transport Brigade Car 7
(registration 3321), which appears to be very similar to a stock bodied Special
Station Wagon. The vehicle has a domed
red beacon and repeater lamp in front of the radiator grille, and a lovely
chromed siren. This photo appears to be
taken near the River Torrens with the Adelaide Railway Station in the
background (
A Holden
EK folding attendant’s seat in the background, note the period microphone and radio
transceiver (
Holden
EK ambulance on a case (registration number 12-745) (
1962 EJ Holden – SA Ambulance Pictures Wanted
1963
EH Holden Ambulance Pictures (More Wanted)
Holden
EH Panel Van, Car 12 (Registration 17-412) (
The
Whyalla St.John Ambulance Fleet of three Holden EH Panel Vans and one
Volkswagen Kombi Van. The crew members
are Don Jacquier, Bruce Battersby and D. Thomas (
1965 HD Holden Ambulance
Pictures
HD wagon ambulance Car 74 from the Port Augusta Ambulance Service
(Affiliated with the St.John Council for
HD wagon
ambulance interior, showing what is probably an oxygen cylinder behind the left
hand rear door that provides access to the ‘jump-seat’ (
HD
ambulance reproduced from a newspaper photo (
HD Ambulance (as corrected by Kyle Edwards and Andrew M) with the
caption “For Single Long Distance Carry” (
Andrew M who used to work at
Hindmarsh in the 1970 says that “The photo captioned 'single long distance
carry' is a HD model not a HR. It would be yellow as well. Most of the vans were
very pale yellow until about the HK’s, although I did see some early HK's in
yellow as well.”
1966 HR Holden Ambulance
Pictures
Fleet of HR Standard Ambulance Car 105 (Registration Number 177-111)
from the Burra & District Ambulance (Affiliated with the St.John Council
for
HR
ambulance Car 121 (Registration Number RSC-272) (
HR
ambulance Car 121, a better quality picture from a slightly different angle
taken at the same time (Registration Number RSC-272) (
Andrew M commented on this
picture, saying “Here
it [car 121] is out the back of the Modbury centre on North East road... You
can see the TTG civic park oval in the back ground. There is Bob DOWNS in the
passenger's seat smiling… This car was
not permanent at Modbury. It was picked up from Hindmarsh every Friday
afternoon and brought out for the weekend by the volunteers. There was no
permanent car until late 69 at Modbury. Can you believe this?”
HR
ambulance Car 121 (Registration Number RSC-272), showing the ambulance officers
preparing to lift the stretcher with the patient on it. Even in the 1960s an ergonomic lifting
technique was employed where the back was straight and the legs muscles were
used to perform the lift (
HR
ambulance Car 121 (Registration Number RSC-272), showing the ambulance officers
preparing to load the stretcher into the back of the ambulance (
Andrew M goes on to say “At
the head end of the stretcher in the next photo is John ODGERS, he was our First
Aid and ATN (Ambulance Training and Nursing) trainer for us and did the public
first aid courses as well. He was a great person and had time for everyone. He
was also a full time paid staff. He worked full time clinics driver out of
Modbury through the 70's and mid 80's… He bought that car 121 and used it a
daily driver. You can also see Bob
Downs at the foot of the stretcher. The two demonstrating the CPR I'm not sure
[of]… This would have to be in 1969.”
1968 HK Holden Ambulance Pictures
A
picture of a HK Belmont ambulance Car 101 from Gawler St.John Division. This vehicle has a lovely chrome siren unit
on the roof (Rego RNG-600) (
HK Belmont
Ambulance from Gladstone, Car 129 (Registration Number RKM-523) (
Andrew M points out “Those other photos of country cars
were marked as you can see in gold decals letters signifying their place of
origin/ country town. It was a practice that ceased around 1976. It was a
controversial decision removing these recognition decals I tell you.”
A Holden
HK Standard Ambulance, Car 128, photo taken around 1969 (registration Number
RSL-800) (
A HK
Belmont ambulance attendant seat and stretcher shown with the left-hand access
door open (
1969 HT and 1970 HG Holden
Ambulance Pictures
Hindmarsh
Depot, showing the St.John Ambulance fleet of HT and HG Belmont panel van
ambulances (thanks for the correction Andrew M) parked inside the main building
at Hindmarsh Centre. These vehicles have
a left hand door that provides access to the attendant’s seat (
Andrew M commented “They
are not Premiers they are all
The next car is a 1969 HT. They had the 186 badge with
You see the transit van in there. It's the store van
and was still there when I started. I drove this. I would say this photo was
taken around 71 -72. All of these vans have the large AM antenna's so they have
the old Vinten AM two ways sets. There is a box shaped room in the background
up on the wall. Well, that was the old radio room which looked down on the
depot. “
1971 HQ Holden – Pictures Wanted
1974 HJ Holden Ambulance
Pictures
1. SA Government Memory Website
(http://www.samemory.sa.gov.au)
Updated
19 Jul 2009