AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

Taranaki Daily News, 3 June 1933, Page 9

AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

SAVING SOLDIER’S LIFE. - 4 A “flying ambulance” 1 has. battled its way across "the massive Atlas Mountains in North Africa in a raging tempest to save the life of a French corporal. The corpora], garrisoned at Tidikelt, near the oasis of In-Salah, in the heart of the Sahara, had a severe abscess in his throat and was in danger of being choked to death.

The corporal’s colonel sent out a wireless message' calling for an “air ambulance” with a 'doctor to be despatched from Maison Blanche,- the “Croydon” of Algiers. The ambulance set out with another aeroplane as escort, and in spite of the raging storm flew over the Atlas Mountains and landed at Laghouat, about 200 miles from the. coast. Next day the two machines flew on to In-Salah, But violent sandstorms were blowing and it was 24 hours before the air ambulance could attempt the return journey. The- moment the storm subsided the patient Was placed in the air ambulance, which flew with an open throttle in five hours to Laghouat—about 500 miles away —where there is a-hospital. There the man received skilled'attention, and later he was taken by air to' 1 Algiers, where he was operated on in the more fullyequipped hospital. ,