Railway wagons were first used by the British to carry sick and wounded members of the military during the Crimean War in 1855. Specially converted British hospital trains first appeared in the South African War of 1899–1902. In the First and Second World Wars British forces – army and navy – developed an intensive system of ambulance trains with medical staff and facilities on board to ferry the wounded away from the battlefields of Europe to the Channel ports. Ambulance trains were widely used within Great Britain to distribute casualties to hospitals all around the country. Also, in both world wars, the US Army in Europe operated ambulance trains in support of the British using British rolling stock. Their use continued into the Korean War and in the Cold War the British Army of the Rhine had a fleet of ambulance trains ready for use in Germany in the event of conflict in Northern Europe. Whether your interest is railway, military or medical history, Brian Robertson presents a detailed history of the use of ambulance trains by British forces from their beginnings in the nineteenth century through to the Cold War, featuring rare historical photographs and drawings.

'Living in a former station, which had its platform extended in 1941 to accommodate military ambulance trains, it's good to find a book devoted to operations of the British Army. The author spent years operating ambulance trains with the British Army and many of the illustrations feature European stock.' * Model Rail Magazine, November 2025 *
'Chapters are accompanied by a plethora of archive photography, and while the use of ambulance trains was global, it is interesting to note how they primarily all followed a similar set up – why fix what isn’t broken, perhaps? A light on an overlooked chapter of rail history.' * Heritage Railway Magazine, December 2025 *

Colonel (retd) Brian Robertson was born in North London and educated at Highgate School. He attended the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, in London, and qualified as a doctor in 1972. His military service started in the Territorial Army in 1965 in 167 (City of London) Field Ambulance RAMC/TA. He was appointed to a Medical Cadetship in 1970 and following a short service Regular Commission in the Royal Army Medical Corps he transferred to the Army Medical Services TA. He spent 15 years training and operating Ambulance Trains within the British Army of the Rhine during the latter years of the Cold War. Between 1985-1994 he held the appointment of Squadron Commander of the Ambulance Train Squadron RAMC(V) in the rank of Lt Colonel. With the end of the Cold War all British Army Ambulance Train capability was disbanded. He was subsequently promoted and appointed to command 306 Field Hospital (V) between 1995-1999 and eventually retired from the Army in December 2007. The author has drawn on an extensive archive of historical photographs, drawings and other images to illustrate his researches in this book.