Stretchers Collection

At an Advanced Dressing Station on the Western Front, Matania
A horse-drawn Red Cross ambulance wagon arriving at an advanced dressing station behind the front lines on the Western Front

MAB First Ambulance Interior
Interior of one of the first ambulances to be operated by Londons Metropolitan Asylums Board in the 1880s for transporting fever and smallpox patients to and from the Boards hospitals

Ambulance
A 12-15 horsepower FIAT motor ambulance equipped with two stretchers, and greatly in demand by the Red Cross during World War I

World War I first-aid station, artwork
World War I first-aid station. Artwork showing stretcher-bearers and wounded soldiers arriving at a first-aid station during the First World War (1914-1918)

British stretcher cases, Salonika, WW1
British stretcher cases awaiting transfer to a ship at Salonika (Salonica, Thessaloniki, Greece) during the First World War. Date: 1916

Austrian ambulance, between c1914 and c1915. Creator: Bain News Service
Austrian ambulance, between c1914 and c1915. Austrian soldiers with an ambulance in the road during World War I.

Victorieuse Offensive Italienne; Un poste de secours italien pendant les operations de... 1917. Creator: Unknown
Victorieuse Offensive Italienne; Un poste de secours italien pendant les operations de diversion contre le Cucco, 1917. First World War

La bataille de la Somme; derriere le front Franco-Britannique: le salut aux blesses allies, 1916
La bataille de la Somme; derriere le front Franco-Britannique : le salut aux blesses allies. 1916. From "Collection de la Guerre IV. L'Illustration Tome CXLVII

Sortie of the Russians from Sebastopol, October 26, 1854. Creator: Unknown
Sortie of the Russians from Sebastopol, October 26, 1854. Crimean War. The Russian prisoners relate that General Luders, thinking he had gained a victory...sent a grandiloquent account of the affair

Writing home to the village (litho)
STC366178 Writing home to the village (litho) by Russian School (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Russian soldiers at the Front, World War I (1914-18);); The Stapleton Collection

Wounded on sledges of skis lashed together: how the Russian Army can do Ambulance work on the snow
STC312503 Wounded on sledges of skis lashed together: how the Russian Army can do Ambulance work on the snow, from The Illustrated War News (litho) by Russian School (20th century)

SAI KZ-4 OY-DZU, (SAI - Skandinavisk Aero Industri A-S, Denmark). The SAI KZ IV was a light twin-engined aircraft first built in Denmark in 1944 for use as an air ambulance, carrying two stretchers

Ocean Liners - oak open arm dining chair. House flag on top rail, drop in seat. The whole on turned supports and stretchers. Date: early 20th century

General Castelnau, commander of the French armies in Lorraine, swears by his sons corpse... (colour litho)
2815690 General Castelnau, commander of the French armies in Lorraine, swears by his sons corpse... (colour litho) by Beltrame, Achille (1871-1945); Private Collection; (add.info.: General Castelnau)

The unfair war, the Austrians fire on a priest, doctors and wounded bearers... (colour litho)
2815771 The unfair war, the Austrians fire on a priest, doctors and wounded bearers... (colour litho) by Beltrame, Achille (1871-1945); Private Collection; (add.info.: The unfair war)

French soldiers wounded in the final unsuccessful attempt to break out from the Siege of Paris arriving at the Quai de
6001340 French soldiers wounded in the final unsuccessful attempt to break out from the Siege of Paris arriving at the Quai de la Megisserie, Franco Prussian War

Volunteer Ambulance Drill at Guildhall (engraving)
1623807 Volunteer Ambulance Drill at Guildhall (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Volunteer Ambulance Drill at Guildhall)

Under the sign of the Red Cross (colour litho)
2778432 Under the sign of the Red Cross (colour litho) by Beltrame, Achille (1871-1945); Private Collection; (add.info.: Under the sign of the Red Cross)

The War, Women carrying Wounded Soldiers to the Hospital at Ivanitza (engraving)
1602714 The War, Women carrying Wounded Soldiers to the Hospital at Ivanitza (engraving) by Hunt, Alfred William (1830-96); Private Collection; (add.info.: The War)

An R. A. M. C. feat hard to match: bringing wounded down the cliff during the Suvla Bay
STC312607 An R.A.M.C. feat hard to match: bringing wounded down the cliff during the Suvla Bay Battle at the Dardanelles, from The Illustrated War News (litho) by Woodville

Miss Mary Smith of South Carolina treating patients during flight to North Africa, c
NAM244235 Miss Mary Smith of South Carolina treating patients during flight to North Africa, c.1943-45, from a collection of 650 photographs compiled by the Commando Association (b/w photo)

The Stretcher (litho)
810360 The Stretcher (litho) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Scenes in Kafirland and Incidents in the Kafir War of 1851/52/53)

French soldiers helping victims of a storm in the Vosges Mountains (colour litho)
2782267 French soldiers helping victims of a storm in the Vosges Mountains (colour litho) by French School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info)

Accident in the mountains (colour litho)
2782179 Accident in the mountains (colour litho) by French School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Accident in the mountains)

Boers helping the British to move their dead from the battlefield (colour litho)
3099093 Boers helping the British to move their dead from the battlefield (colour litho) by Meaulle, Fortune Louis (1844-1901); Private Collection; (add.info)

The Red Cross in the German Army (litho)
1042916 The Red Cross in the German Army (litho) by Paget, Walter Stanley (1861-1908); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Red Cross in the German Army)

The Derailment at Moirans, from Le Petit Parisien, 8th November 1891 (litho)
STC373774 The Derailment at Moirans, from Le Petit Parisien, 8th November 1891 (litho) by Dete, Beltrand and Clair-Guyot, E. (fl)

The Barbarian Enemy, On the So?ýa Line, Austrian aviators shoot with machine guns over a... (colour litho)
2815776 The Barbarian Enemy, On the So─ìa Line, Austrian aviators shoot with machine guns over a... (colour litho) by Beltrame

Field hospital near Chateau Pinon with severely wounded Germans and French (b / w photo)
STC406183 Field hospital near Chateau Pinon with severely wounded Germans and French (b/w photo) by German Photographer (20th Century); Private Collection; The Stapleton Collection; German

Boarding a hospital train (b / w photo)
STC444607 Boarding a hospital train (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: First World War (1914-18); ); The Stapleton Collection; English

Battle Between the Monitor and Merrimac, March 9th 1862 at Hampton Roads, near Norfolk
1123843 Battle Between the Monitor and Merrimac, March 9th 1862 at Hampton Roads, near Norfolk, Virginia, pub. Kurz & Allison, c.1889 (colour litho) by American School

Wounded soldier carried on a stretcher (colour photo)
3093848 Wounded soldier carried on a stretcher (colour photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Wounded soldier carried on a stretcher)

La Patrie (oil on canvas)
BIR103743 La Patrie (oil on canvas) by Nevinson, Christopher Richard Wynne (1889-1946); 60.8x91.5 cm; Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery; English, out of copyright

The Wreck of HMS Serpent (engraving)
1596876 The Wreck of HMS Serpent (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Wreck of HMS Serpent)

Psyche carried aloft on a stretcher (chromolitho)
964360 Psyche carried aloft on a stretcher (chromolitho) by French School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Psyche carried aloft on a stretcher; France, 17th century)

After the Battle of Velestino, Greeks bringing their Wounded down to the Railway (litho)
1036970 After the Battle of Velestino, Greeks bringing their Wounded down to the Railway (litho) by Jacomb-Hood, George Percy (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: After the Battle of Velestino)

With the British on the Somme front (colour litho)
961013 With the British on the Somme front (colour litho) by Flameng, Francois (1856-1923) (after); Private Collection; (add.info)

Japanese surgeons tending to wounded soldiers, Russo-Japanese War (colour litho)
2795979 Japanese surgeons tending to wounded soldiers, Russo-Japanese War (colour litho) by French School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info)

The severe flood in Paris, forced exodus of the sick from a hospitable invaded by the waters of the Seine (colour litho)
2815305 The severe flood in Paris, forced exodus of the sick from a hospitable invaded by the waters of the Seine (colour litho) by Beltrame

Fundraising appeal in aid of the French Red Cross on Frances Day, July 14, pub
992100 Fundraising appeal in aid of the French Red Cross on Frances Day, July 14, pub. London, c.1915 (colour litho) by Forestier, Amedee (1854-1930); Private Collection; (add.info.: Frances day)

"Le Malade Imaginaire", the New Volunteer Ambulance Staff at Work (engraving)
1049973 " Le Malade Imaginaire", the New Volunteer Ambulance Staff at Work (engraving) by Hall, Sydney Prior (1842-1922) (after); Private Collection; (add.info)

Playful Dalmatian Pups Date: 1950

St Johns stretchers 1882
British examples of man-powered ambulances, (stretchers). Date: 1882

Duchess of York talking to Crippled Cubs - Edinburgh
Elizabeth, Duchess of York (later Elizabeth, the Queen Mother 1900-2002) talking to Crippled Cubs - Edinburgh during a great display by 17, 000 children drawn from the Boys Brigade, Girl Guides

Stereoview, World War One, The Great War Realistic Travels military photographs circa 1918. Tenderly lifting a serious injured soldier by stretcher bearers

Group portraits 17 people Stretchers Rescue 1908
Group portraits with 17 people, Stretchers, Rescue, 1908, Meiszen, Arbeiter Sanitatskolonne, Germany

Ambulance drill, Tembo Camp, Kenya, WW1
Ambulance drill with wheeled stretchers at Tembo Camp, Kenya, East Africa, during WW1. 1915

Patients waiting for VAD transport
Three stretchers with patients are on the ground at the back of some vehicles. The patients have probably just arrived by ambulance train at Ramsgate Town Station

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Stretchers have played a crucial role throughout history, providing aid and comfort to those in need. From the battlefields of World War I to the aftermath of natural disasters, these simple yet essential devices have saved countless lives. At an Advanced Dressing Station on the Western Front, artist Matania captured the chaotic scene as they were hurriedly brought in to transport wounded soldiers. In MAB First Ambulance Interior, we see the interior of an ambulance transformed into a temporary medical haven, with stretchers neatly arranged for maximum efficiency. During World War I, stretcher cases became a common sight among British troops stationed in Salonika and Cambrai. These brave men relied on stretchers to carry them from danger to safety amidst the chaos of war. Beyond military conflicts, they have been used in various contexts. On ocean liners like the oak open arm dining chair featured in artwork, they provided comfort during emergencies at sea. The SAI KZ-4 OY-DZU showcases how even aviation accidents necessitate their use for swift evacuation and medical attention. In times of tragedy such as after earthquakes or train disasters like that which occurred near Antwerp in Contich, stretchers become symbols of hope amid despair, and are indispensable tools utilized by rescue teams tirelessly searching for survivors or recovering bodies. Even leaders bear witness to their power; General Castelnau swore by his son's corpse while standing next to a stretcher - a poignant reminder of sacrifice and determination during wartime. Whether it be on battlefields or disaster zones, stretchers embody resilience and compassion as they serve as lifelines between life and death.