Walt Disney was a WW1 Ambulance Driver

Students from Royal Docks Community School discovered this on their visit to the Army Medical Services Museum in June where they learnt about the ambulance services behind the lines in WW1. They walked a mock trench, had a detailed briefing about horse drawn ambulances which were converted by volunteers from hay carts. They discovered the ingenuity of fitting carts with stretchers and medical equipment and reflected on the horrendous task of dragging ambulances out of the mud. Motorised ambulances were introduced later in the war, but for the most part, horses were relied upon.

















Volunteers from 2 Livery Companies who have connections to the stories of the ambulances: the Worshipful Company of Hackney Carriage Drivers and the Worshipful Company of Coachmakers explained to the students the role of the drivers and the coach makers in WW1 and also told them about their role today

Students spent 4 days developing their ideas about how the war affected those ambulance drivers working with Heritage Artist Jane Churchill to express their interpretation of what they had learnt. The work the students produced was curated for an exhibition in school. Parents were invited to a briefing about the project and students had a chance to pass on to their families the understanding they had of this aspect of WW1