British Ambulance Rover 7 Kit
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Description
The Land Rover has served the British Army and other British Services for a quarter of a century in various forms, also equipping the armies of many countries who traditionally take their military needs from British industry. The Rover as it is officially known, is used in many roles. It is seen as a general purpose field car, for liason, reconnaissance, patrol, courier, staff or personnel transport. In long wheelbase form its roles include gun tractor, carrier for the recoilles anti-tank gun, wireless and command car, personnel carrier and armed patrol vehicle for the Special Air Service or the reconnaissance platoons of other units. A field ambulance kit enables the standard vehicle to be fitted to carry stretchers for casualty evacuation. Recently the Rover has appeared as the standard British Army ambulance, special bodywork for this has proved so effective in this role that it replaces heavier larger vehicles as the standard British ambulance at divisional or brigade levels. Use of the Land Rover with special ambulance bodywork goes back to 1956 when a batch of the production version, on the 107 inch chassis, was built for the RAF. Designated truck 1/4 ton, 4 x 4 Ambulance Special the requirement was for a suitably compact vehicle for the Mountain Rescue teams of the RAF. This Rove ambulance had the standard commercial four cylinder 2 litre petrol engine of 52 bhp. The bodywork was framed and panelled in aluminuium and lightweight thermal insulation. The driver and a medical officer sat in the cab, the inside fitted for two stretchers with a seat for a medical orderly. The stretcher racks folded back to accommodate three seated casualties. These original ambulances were bodied and completed by Bonallack & Sons Ltd. The overall length was 15ft. 4 ins.
Service with the RAF where they worked off the road in rugged terrain, led the British Army to chose a similar design where there was the need for an improvement over the open stretcher conversion kits then available. The first Army design was known as the Amubulance 2-stretcher, 4 x 4, Rover 7 (FV 18044) and was built by Mickleover Transport Co Ltd in 1961062. This was on the 109 inch wheelbase, with the standard Land Rover 2 1/4 litre engine. Changes for military use included WD tyres and wheels, stronger suspension, bigger engine fan, and lightning to military standards. The body was longer and lower than the RAF version (15ft 10in) and had full ventilation and heating.
Subsequent models have seen minor change to keep pace with chassis change. An internal change allowed an additional option of four stretchers, two each side, the designation in the late 1960's being Ambulance 2/4 stretcher, 3/4 ton, 4 x 4 Rover 9 (FV 18067). Marshall of Cambridge and Mickleover built the bodywork. Clips for extra stretchers are fitted on the roof. The RAF and some civil authorities use virtually the same model. Height; 7ft. 1/2 in, length; 15ft. 10in, width: 6ft 3in, wheelbase: 9ft. 1in, weight: 4,256lb (empty), 5,885 lb (laden), engine: 2.5 litre (2,286cc) 77bhp. -
Specifications
- Discontinued True