Robertson, Brian British Army Ambulance Trains

Railway carriages were first used by the British in 1855 during the Crimean War to transport sick and wounded soldiers. Specially converted British hospital trains were first used in the South African War from 1899 to 1902. During the First and Second World Wars, the British armed forces army and navy developed an intensive system of hospital trains with medical personnel and facilities on board to transport the wounded from the battlefields of Europe to ports on the English Channel. Hospital trains were frequently used in Great Britain to distribute the wounded to hospitals throughout the country. In addition, the US Army operated hospital trains in Europe during both world wars to support the British, using British rolling stock. Their use continued into the Korean War, and during the Cold War, the British Army of the Rhine had a fleet of hospital trains ready for use in Germany in the event of conflict in Northern Europe. Whether you are interested in railway, military or medical history, Brian Robertson presents a detailed history of the use of hospital trains by the British armed forces from their beginnings in the 19th century to the Cold War, illustrated with rare historical photos and drawings.