Bath City post ww2 had 1 fire station covering 10 square miles of the Bath City area. In 1948 when the NFS ( National Fire Service 1941 to 1947 ) handed back fire control to regional county & county borough fire brigades, Bath was one of those county borough brigades that had a joint fire brigade and ambulance service, at least until 1969 when they seperated and a designated ambulance service, Bath City Ambulance Service was formed with a seperate cap badge. The Bath Fire Brigade was also reformed and lasted until 1974 with its untitled cap badge of the original fire and ambulance service design replacing the joint service titled badge !
Ambulance Services in the U.K formed after WW2 when an act of parliament was passed , The National Health Services Act 1946 which was set up to provide a health service to the whole of the U.K. It came into being on 5th July 1948 & lasted until it was replaced by The National Health Services Act 1977 !!
Initially ambulance staff were volunteers, The Milar Report of 1964 changed that, making a recommendation that patients be treated en route to hospital. Training Schools were set up & recruits were trained in basic 1st Aid & other extended skills in the use of oxygen, Entonox etc, the cap badge they wore was a laurel leaf!
In 1974 the ambulance services transferred to The N.H.S & the retro cap badges of 1974 replaced the earlier badges. These were again replaced in the late 1980’s & 90’s to the laurel wreath with the Q.C, these badges being mainly gilt enameled & termed as “ modern cap badge!
This original Bath Fire & Ambulance Service cap badge from the 1948 to 1969 period is in overall good condition with the 2 cap fixing lugs intact to the rear of the badge, the enamel does have 2 very minor chips, one on the title scroll and one at the bottom of the Bath City shield. Otherwise a good and 100% original cap badge