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Henrietta Street Ambulance Station
- Thread starter Two
- Start date
mick mcgrath
proper brummie kid
These photos bring back memories, I lived in Hanley St number 8 .I am sure that the window inbetween the two buildings is my attic bedroom mick m thank you.
Fabulous photo's of the street as it is known amongst ambulance staff.I started my ambulance service career there in March 1968 before moving to Bristol Road Station.I wonder if you are able to forward the photo's to the virtualambulancemuseum.com I am a director of the ambulance heritage society and the photo's would be a wonderful addition to the museum archives Malcolm
brumgum
Proud to be a Brummie!
Just visited Google Street and it's still more or less there..
https://maps.google.co.uk/maps/svpw?url=https:%2F%2Fmaps.google.co.uk%2Fmaps%3Ff%3Dq%26source%3Ds_q%26hl%3Den%26geocode%3D%26q%3DHenrietta%2BStreet,%2BBirmingham%26aq%3D0%26oq%3Dhenrie%26sll%3D52.477438,-1.863632%26sspn%3D0.338338,0.617294%26vpsrc%3D6%26t%3Dh%26ie%3DUTF8%26hq%3D%26hnear%3DHenrietta%2BSt,%2BBirmingham,%2BUnited%2BKingdom%26ll%3D52.487905,-1.900366%26spn%3D0.000939,0.001206%26z%3D14%26layer%3Dc%26cbll%3D52.488211,-1.899465%26panoid%3Dg6Cb1pkw0wdqkJAlJ_qeWg%26cbp%3D12,290.77,,0,22.29%26output%3Dembed&hl=en&gl=uk
https://maps.google.co.uk/maps/svpw?url=https:%2F%2Fmaps.google.co.uk%2Fmaps%3Ff%3Dq%26source%3Ds_q%26hl%3Den%26geocode%3D%26q%3DHenrietta%2BStreet,%2BBirmingham%26aq%3D0%26oq%3Dhenrie%26sll%3D52.477438,-1.863632%26sspn%3D0.338338,0.617294%26vpsrc%3D6%26t%3Dh%26ie%3DUTF8%26hq%3D%26hnear%3DHenrietta%2BSt,%2BBirmingham,%2BUnited%2BKingdom%26ll%3D52.487905,-1.900366%26spn%3D0.000939,0.001206%26z%3D14%26layer%3Dc%26cbll%3D52.488211,-1.899465%26panoid%3Dg6Cb1pkw0wdqkJAlJ_qeWg%26cbp%3D12,290.77,,0,22.29%26output%3Dembed&hl=en&gl=uk
maypolebaz
master brummie
Back in the 90s, on our way back from a long distance transfer, we came off the M6, looking for fuel. We were directed to a station in the city. When we found it there were undesirables hanging about in the street and the entrance to the station was behind some large doors. Having contacted Metro control, the station staff were contacted and they let us in. I allways thought that it was Henrietta St we'd been to but the photos show a different place. Does anyone know which depot it was that we'd visited ?
HI MAYPOLE;
I am just wodering where you said you came off the motor way
of junction 6 to reach henritta street and the ambulace station ;
way back in the ninetys yes your picture on google is henriteta
which i know and good old female friend of mine was working there
and she still does work at the controller for the ambulance services
but coming off the m6 is a long way away from there where you are
did you come off at west bromwich or the m6 at frankley and down
the hagley rd west into brum city ; i remember the old station
and i can recall thoses new gates being arrectived so may be you have got a little confused of the motor way exit
please enlighted us with more info ;for us to established where you came off was it on the m6 and onto the m5 before exits or what
best wishes Astonian;;
I am just wodering where you said you came off the motor way
of junction 6 to reach henritta street and the ambulace station ;
way back in the ninetys yes your picture on google is henriteta
which i know and good old female friend of mine was working there
and she still does work at the controller for the ambulance services
but coming off the m6 is a long way away from there where you are
did you come off at west bromwich or the m6 at frankley and down
the hagley rd west into brum city ; i remember the old station
and i can recall thoses new gates being arrectived so may be you have got a little confused of the motor way exit
please enlighted us with more info ;for us to established where you came off was it on the m6 and onto the m5 before exits or what
best wishes Astonian;;
It would be useful if you could remember where the pumps were situated. At Henrietta Street access to the station was via the rear and the pumps were located on the right hand side next to a large roller shutter door. It is possible that you were taken to the rear of the station which was the normal practice.
maypolebaz
master brummie
I'm afraid I can't be certain where the pumps were, my mate was driving at the time. I seem to recall we were in the Great Charles Street area, for what that's worth. While we were waiting to be let in, we were jokingly saying how the place looked like Fort Apache, The Bronx. The crews in the station were very friendly, though. At that time their uniform was separate green shirts and trousers, whereas we were wearing one-piece coveralls. Sorry I can't remember more.
hi maypole
you most certainly got it to a t; your location was correct if you was in the grt charles street area and when you came down and beared right you would have come to it as that would have been the nearest petrol garage to grt charles street at that time but i am just thinking on your approach around that period and the given area and late of a night you would have seen the vagabonds dossing around on the corners because it would have been the very old sally army house
and there used to be old toilets there where they used to doss as the sally army house could only cateur for about twenty people in those days plus there was a little cafe where they could doss late of a night till morning where they could get a sarny from the saly army it was dark and spooky many ime in the dark ages i have walked down there late of a night feling weary my self as i was going home to victoria rd when i was young and single but at that corner of the street there was a garage but i cannot just think of the name of it they was sharks i can just vizualize the gage but some reason i think it began with the itials j then later it changed there name or these new people took over i beleive these people are still there so may be thats where you got your petrol from across the rd but saying that i do not think they was not open till very late eveningpossibly about eight or nine oclock it had a fair size fore court they uesd to have the old taxies standing on there for repairs i would love just think of the name as i had an old car repaired there and i got ripped off as i said they are no longer there is is firm whom are operating today well known whom took over today they have red and white pick up lorries and they also have a garage inwest heath by the man in the moon pub but its posibl that you may have crossed over and asked the ambulance station for help when you found this garage closed as i say it would have been less than a 100 yards across the way best wishes Astonian
you most certainly got it to a t; your location was correct if you was in the grt charles street area and when you came down and beared right you would have come to it as that would have been the nearest petrol garage to grt charles street at that time but i am just thinking on your approach around that period and the given area and late of a night you would have seen the vagabonds dossing around on the corners because it would have been the very old sally army house
and there used to be old toilets there where they used to doss as the sally army house could only cateur for about twenty people in those days plus there was a little cafe where they could doss late of a night till morning where they could get a sarny from the saly army it was dark and spooky many ime in the dark ages i have walked down there late of a night feling weary my self as i was going home to victoria rd when i was young and single but at that corner of the street there was a garage but i cannot just think of the name of it they was sharks i can just vizualize the gage but some reason i think it began with the itials j then later it changed there name or these new people took over i beleive these people are still there so may be thats where you got your petrol from across the rd but saying that i do not think they was not open till very late eveningpossibly about eight or nine oclock it had a fair size fore court they uesd to have the old taxies standing on there for repairs i would love just think of the name as i had an old car repaired there and i got ripped off as i said they are no longer there is is firm whom are operating today well known whom took over today they have red and white pick up lorries and they also have a garage inwest heath by the man in the moon pub but its posibl that you may have crossed over and asked the ambulance station for help when you found this garage closed as i say it would have been less than a 100 yards across the way best wishes Astonian
maypolebaz
master brummie
Thanks Astonian, you've got a good memory ! No, wherever this station was, the pumps were inside the gates.
The pumps at Henrietta Street station are inside the rear gates,but I have to question your reference to the uniforms worn by the staff. Since green became the recognised colour for uniform,the WMAS has only ever worn white shirts and green trousers.Before that the colour was French navy blue.Malcolm
maypolebaz
master brummie
Well thanks for straightening me out about Henrietta St. As for the uniform, well the memory does play tricks, (specially mine !). Keeping with matters Ambulance, whatever happened to The Renault Five ?
hi maypole
you are correct in what you have stated about the uniform and the garage across the rd which repaired all the old taxie
for the birmingham taxies was jamesons they done all the repairs and mot for the old tavi brigade way back then the old taxis
so he would have got is petrol from where you said and not across the rd as i thought it may have been jameson never sold the petrol to the public it was for there use and filing taxies have a great day best wishes Astonian;
you are correct in what you have stated about the uniform and the garage across the rd which repaired all the old taxie
for the birmingham taxies was jamesons they done all the repairs and mot for the old tavi brigade way back then the old taxis
so he would have got is petrol from where you said and not across the rd as i thought it may have been jameson never sold the petrol to the public it was for there use and filing taxies have a great day best wishes Astonian;
maypolebaz
master brummie
Well, in the eighties, some new Renault ambulances were issued to us. We in the Mersey Region hated them and nobody wanted to work on them. During that time we heard that five ambulancemen in the Birmingham area were in dispute with management because they were refusing to work on Renault ambulances and the media called them "The Renault Five".
I do not remember that episode but will make enquiries and let you know. However we did have a batch of Talbot vehicles which had the handbrake lever was between the edge of the seat and the door. This configuration did cause some serious back injuries and the vehicle bodies were transplanted on to Renault Master chassis.
Re the Renault Ambulances. These originally petrol Masters, came into the old WMAS as Outpatient vehicles. Fitted with rear ramps and hydraulic lowering gear, they were intended for multi-role transport. Using ratchet clamps, you could transport beds & Wheelchairs, etc., where patients / hospital needs required. They had a number of ergonomic faults though, perhaps the worst being the Clutch Pedal action, very long and heavy. As we'd regularly do 200 miles a day, we often got inflamed knee joints, so, (Where a crew), would take turns to drive. The other problem was length, until you became used to them turning was fraught with danger compared to the old Transits. The reason for their purchase was shrouded in the James Ackers debacle of those days, the fraud cases and collapse of the original WMRHA are well recorded elsewhere on the 'Net.
Malcolm is right about the Peugot Talbots though. In the late 80's, 2 Pelsall based Training Officers, Steve and Gary (Surnames omitted deliberately), sort of ' invented ' their ideal vehicle, and used it as an extra unit on Friday & Saturday nights. I used it once from "the Street" and it was well thought out except for the lack of Saloon / Cab access. in about '92 we saw the first of the Production ones at "the Street". My VERY experienced crewmate JJ, took one look and said "crap !" it only had single rear wheels and would be unsteady on corners. Looking inside they had a very low cab roof and immovable steel buckets for driver's seats, and as Mal says, a dangerously placed handbrake lever between the seat and the door. Soon, torn trouser pockets were commonplace. If you were 5' 8" you could drive one. Under that, you couldn't reach the pedals, over that you couldn't fit into the driver's space. One 5' 1" young lady had to get John the mechanic to fit wooden blocks to the pedals when she was driving ! JJ and I were offered 1 for assessment / use - he rejected it immediately, we had our 'own' Renault as we had been selected to operate a User Unit Paid for "Contract"system and were taken out of normal duties for 3 years. (I returned to A&E at Coventry then Monyhull as we were costing too much according to the Accountants who seized power of the WMAS when it went "Trust" in 1996).
I know that, by 1992, there were serious doubts about vehicle types. A service wide survey followed, identifying the Transit as the BEST vehicle al round, and so, by 1995 we had the newer (Diesel) Transits. In the old WMAS, there were hundreds of Road Staff, and a few Officers, (that has been reversed now !), so it is possible that such a Group as the "Renault 5" could have existed, however,not, to my knowledge in the Central region, maybe in the West (Black Country) or the East (Coventry) though ??????
Any help ?
Malcolm is right about the Peugot Talbots though. In the late 80's, 2 Pelsall based Training Officers, Steve and Gary (Surnames omitted deliberately), sort of ' invented ' their ideal vehicle, and used it as an extra unit on Friday & Saturday nights. I used it once from "the Street" and it was well thought out except for the lack of Saloon / Cab access. in about '92 we saw the first of the Production ones at "the Street". My VERY experienced crewmate JJ, took one look and said "crap !" it only had single rear wheels and would be unsteady on corners. Looking inside they had a very low cab roof and immovable steel buckets for driver's seats, and as Mal says, a dangerously placed handbrake lever between the seat and the door. Soon, torn trouser pockets were commonplace. If you were 5' 8" you could drive one. Under that, you couldn't reach the pedals, over that you couldn't fit into the driver's space. One 5' 1" young lady had to get John the mechanic to fit wooden blocks to the pedals when she was driving ! JJ and I were offered 1 for assessment / use - he rejected it immediately, we had our 'own' Renault as we had been selected to operate a User Unit Paid for "Contract"system and were taken out of normal duties for 3 years. (I returned to A&E at Coventry then Monyhull as we were costing too much according to the Accountants who seized power of the WMAS when it went "Trust" in 1996).
I know that, by 1992, there were serious doubts about vehicle types. A service wide survey followed, identifying the Transit as the BEST vehicle al round, and so, by 1995 we had the newer (Diesel) Transits. In the old WMAS, there were hundreds of Road Staff, and a few Officers, (that has been reversed now !), so it is possible that such a Group as the "Renault 5" could have existed, however,not, to my knowledge in the Central region, maybe in the West (Black Country) or the East (Coventry) though ??????
Any help ?
enzothebaker
proper brummie kid
Hi Astonian,
Came across your post while browsing - the garage you mention was in Summer Lane and run by 'Joe' Jameson and family. In the 1960's/70's they ran the largest fleet of black-cabs in Birmingham. Made a fortune and drove Rolls Royce!
Hi Enzothebaker
Many thanks for reading my thread and for replying to me about the jameson family, and there business
I knew them fairly well indeed and done business with them for years as i only lived along the road
i lived in in inkerman house top floor when they first built it ,they used to repair my cars as well
they always had the black cabs on there forecourt which i knew about they certainly made a good living out of there busines
and i have to say they was the bee knees and certainly when it comes to the costing
plus they had connections to a well known break down services whom would bring them the business
at all hours and nights of days , this company is now operating up the west heath end , i think its the west heath area
if you go from the green at kings norton to longbridge they have a break down service there they have a large fleet
of pick up trucks red and white trucks , i had not mention there name other wise the mods might not want me to mention there name
for legal reasons but this company started out with jamesons there trucks was always parked on jameson allnight and day long
it would not surprize me they are family connection for that reason of this break down service
but jamesonson as you know was there for decades
once again thanks for reading my thread and replying back to me best wishes Astonian;;;;;;
Many thanks for reading my thread and for replying to me about the jameson family, and there business
I knew them fairly well indeed and done business with them for years as i only lived along the road
i lived in in inkerman house top floor when they first built it ,they used to repair my cars as well
they always had the black cabs on there forecourt which i knew about they certainly made a good living out of there busines
and i have to say they was the bee knees and certainly when it comes to the costing
plus they had connections to a well known break down services whom would bring them the business
at all hours and nights of days , this company is now operating up the west heath end , i think its the west heath area
if you go from the green at kings norton to longbridge they have a break down service there they have a large fleet
of pick up trucks red and white trucks , i had not mention there name other wise the mods might not want me to mention there name
for legal reasons but this company started out with jamesons there trucks was always parked on jameson allnight and day long
it would not surprize me they are family connection for that reason of this break down service
but jamesonson as you know was there for decades
once again thanks for reading my thread and replying back to me best wishes Astonian;;;;;;
Barr_Beacon
The Prodigal Brummie
Sorry, can't provide a date.
Radiorails
master brummie
Year : 1959
Livery : Birmingham Fire & Ambulance Service.
Engine : 6 cylinders 3.5 litre OHV - Austin Princess
Coachbuilder : Appleyard Leeds
Livery : Birmingham Fire and Ambulance Service
Information : Owned by City of Birmingham Fire and Ambulance later West Midlands Ambulance Service.
Photo from the Ambulance Heritage Society
Livery : Birmingham Fire & Ambulance Service.
Engine : 6 cylinders 3.5 litre OHV - Austin Princess
Coachbuilder : Appleyard Leeds
Livery : Birmingham Fire and Ambulance Service
Information : Owned by City of Birmingham Fire and Ambulance later West Midlands Ambulance Service.
Photo from the Ambulance Heritage Society
Radiorails
master brummie
Sticking my neck out Lyn I would say give or take a couple of years either side the answer is yes. The Morris passenger (no emergency) vehicles look very mid to late 1950's.
You folks in Birmingham have always had the best of many things. Not only were the municipal buses of the highest standard so, it seems, were you ambulances.
Curiously the registration mark of the ambulance in post 28 is that of Worcestershire C.C.
You folks in Birmingham have always had the best of many things. Not only were the municipal buses of the highest standard so, it seems, were you ambulances.
Curiously the registration mark of the ambulance in post 28 is that of Worcestershire C.C.
