Range Rover Ambulance
The Range Rover Ambulance was a modified Range Rover designed for emergency medical duties in remote areas. It would form the backbone of the Falkland Islands Volunteer Ambulance Trust.
Design[]
The Ambulance was created by the strengthening of the Range Rover long wheelbase chasis and the fitting of an Ambulance compartment behind the driver's position. This compartment deletes the rear passenger doors and features a heightened roof to allow medics work on a petient. The tailgate was modified to allow easier access for a stretcher. Power came from the standard Rover 4.2ltr V8 petrol engine.
Operational History[]
Falkland Islands Volunteer Ambulance Trust[]
Nine vehicles were donated to the Falkland Islands by the British National Health Service (NHS) in 1979. They
Falklands Ambulance after crash with Argentine armoured vehicle.
replaced older Land Rover Series III Ambulances which were found to be too underpowered for some of the extreme terrain of the Falklands.
When Argentinean forces invaded the islands in 1982 one Ambulance was lost in a collision with an Argentinean armoured vehicle that was traveling on the wrong side of the road. The vehicle was transporting a man with chest pains to the hospital in Port Stanley. The driver and patient was killed in the impact while the second Paramedic survived with serious injuries.
The Falkland Ambulances served their community throughout the conflict and were recognised after the war by Queen Elizabeth II for their dedication.