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 early post 1948 Nottinghamshire Ambulance Service cap badge is one of the two varieties, a red or blue enameled centre, this being the blue ring version. Manufactured by Firmin or Gaunts of London, the enamel centre attached to an economy issue standard home office star & secured with the correct brass thin pin! The badge itself is in great condition for its age, these are the 1st pattern post 1948 cap badges & this particular ambulance service cap badge resonates a few ambulance services who adopted the fire brigade style cap badge. At that time, many ambulance stations were attached to fire stations & wore similar uniforms. Some even had the title “ Fire & Ambulance Service “, Birmingham, Bath, Wolverhampton being a few. When the N.H.S took over control of ambulance services in 1974 it was similar to the Fire Service Reforms of that year, changing borough’s & county borough services into county services.