01 June 2023 , 19:33
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A Normandy veteran with dementia relived his paramedic career by putting on his old uniform and riding in a vintage ambulance.
Albert Gibbs, 98, who worked for 25 years saving lives, was visited by two paramedics in a 1967 Morris Wadhams vehicle, complete with period outfits.
Although dementia has robbed him of many memories, their arrival took him back to his days, from 1965 to 1990, in the London Ambulance Service. He told Terence Thomson and Craig Henty: “I wore that uniform and hat.
“I recognise your badge. It’s from the north-east sector where I used to work.”
He recalled: “I delivered five babies and saved a person under a train.
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Albert with Craig and Terence
Albert in the ambulance“I had a good time and a lot of laughs, especially when I rang the ambulance bell on the Woolwich Ferry. We weren’t allowed to do that but I did it once and then sped down the ferry. It got me into some trouble.”
During the war Albert was an Army driver based in Normandy in the aftermath of D-Day.
Daughter Elaine Dettmar said: “The ambulance service was a huge part of Dad’s life. It was so moving. As he talked, more memories came out.”
A young Albert rides a donkeyCraig, head of historic collections at the ambulance service, said of his visit to Albert’s care home in Southend, Essex: “We sat in the back for a chat and it felt as if we had just finished a job together. He even rested his feet on the rail in front of him and that’s exactly what an ambulance crew would do.
“I was amazed to see that the experience brought him right back.”