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Throwback Thursday: Our Portrait Gallery
Apr. 16th, 2020 06:17 pmI have reached the point in sorting through the boxes of stuff from B's father where I've reached an envelope of "Family Press Cuttings".
This looks to be from some kind of magazine. Dated May 1904
Transcription:
Our Portrait Gallery
CHIEF SURGEON AND CHIEF SUPT. W. H. IRVIN SELLERS, PRESTON CORPS, S.J.A.B
Preston has reason to be proud of its Ambulance Corps, for it is admittedly one of the best in the the County of Lancashire, and to the gentleman whose portrait we present to our readers this month much of the credit is due, for it is in no small measure owing to his indefatigable energy and personal interest that it has attained this high state of efficiency.
Dr. Irvin Sellers, who was born in Preston in 1857, was educated first at the Preston Grammar School, afterwards at the Broughton High School, Manchester, subsequently proceeding to the Handel Schule, Leipsic, in 1880, and took his M.R.C.S. London in 1881. It was while he occupied the responsible position of house surgeon to the Royal Southern Hospital at Liverpool in 188304, that he first became interested in ambulance work, and it was during his sojourn in this city that the horse ambulance service in connection with the Liverpool Northern Hospital was organised. This was, we believe, the first attempt at a properly organised service in this country. In 1885, Dr. Sellers, who had taken up his residence in Preston, took up ambulance lectures in connection with the Centre in that town and assisted in the formation of the Preston Ambulance Corps, of which he was appointed the first honorary surgeon in 1886. This corps was incorporated in the St. John Ambulance Brigade on January 25th, 1888, and in March, 1898, Hon. Surgeon Sellers was appointed chief surgeon, and subsequently in 1901 was appointed to the dual position of chief surgeon and chief superintendent. In addition to his departmental duties in connection with the Preston Corps, Dr. Sellers takes a keen interest in the B Brigade Bearer Company, which ws the second formed in the country in connection with the St. John Ambulance Brigade. He also supervises the work of the horse ambulance service in connection with the Preston Royal Infirmary, of which he is one of the honorary medical staff.
Dr. Irvin Sellers is an Hon. Associate of the Order of St. John, and has received the Service medal of the Order and also holds the Special Service Medal awarded for assisting in the organisation of the active service members for the South African War.
A record in ambulance service such as Dr. Sellers possesses proves how thoroughly his heart is in the work. With his corps he is extremely popular, for it is recognised that in all his aims and actions he has but one object in view, and that is to maintain and still further promote the efficiency of its members. Although strict in all matters relating to discipline he never fails to recognise that those serving under him are volunteers in the truest sense of the word, and that it is necessary at times to deal lightly with a fault.
There is something about the phrase "horse ambulance service" which startles me into realising how different things could be in the past where, of course, the ambulance service (if one existed) would be horse drawn.
The second thing that struck me was that there apparently wasn't any other ambulance service. Wikipedia tells me that in fact St. John Ambulance were the first and only ambulance service in many parts of England until the mid 20th Century.
This looks to be from some kind of magazine. Dated May 1904
Transcription:
Our Portrait Gallery
CHIEF SURGEON AND CHIEF SUPT. W. H. IRVIN SELLERS, PRESTON CORPS, S.J.A.B
Preston has reason to be proud of its Ambulance Corps, for it is admittedly one of the best in the the County of Lancashire, and to the gentleman whose portrait we present to our readers this month much of the credit is due, for it is in no small measure owing to his indefatigable energy and personal interest that it has attained this high state of efficiency.
Dr. Irvin Sellers, who was born in Preston in 1857, was educated first at the Preston Grammar School, afterwards at the Broughton High School, Manchester, subsequently proceeding to the Handel Schule, Leipsic, in 1880, and took his M.R.C.S. London in 1881. It was while he occupied the responsible position of house surgeon to the Royal Southern Hospital at Liverpool in 188304, that he first became interested in ambulance work, and it was during his sojourn in this city that the horse ambulance service in connection with the Liverpool Northern Hospital was organised. This was, we believe, the first attempt at a properly organised service in this country. In 1885, Dr. Sellers, who had taken up his residence in Preston, took up ambulance lectures in connection with the Centre in that town and assisted in the formation of the Preston Ambulance Corps, of which he was appointed the first honorary surgeon in 1886. This corps was incorporated in the St. John Ambulance Brigade on January 25th, 1888, and in March, 1898, Hon. Surgeon Sellers was appointed chief surgeon, and subsequently in 1901 was appointed to the dual position of chief surgeon and chief superintendent. In addition to his departmental duties in connection with the Preston Corps, Dr. Sellers takes a keen interest in the B Brigade Bearer Company, which ws the second formed in the country in connection with the St. John Ambulance Brigade. He also supervises the work of the horse ambulance service in connection with the Preston Royal Infirmary, of which he is one of the honorary medical staff.
Dr. Irvin Sellers is an Hon. Associate of the Order of St. John, and has received the Service medal of the Order and also holds the Special Service Medal awarded for assisting in the organisation of the active service members for the South African War.
A record in ambulance service such as Dr. Sellers possesses proves how thoroughly his heart is in the work. With his corps he is extremely popular, for it is recognised that in all his aims and actions he has but one object in view, and that is to maintain and still further promote the efficiency of its members. Although strict in all matters relating to discipline he never fails to recognise that those serving under him are volunteers in the truest sense of the word, and that it is necessary at times to deal lightly with a fault.
There is something about the phrase "horse ambulance service" which startles me into realising how different things could be in the past where, of course, the ambulance service (if one existed) would be horse drawn.
The second thing that struck me was that there apparently wasn't any other ambulance service. Wikipedia tells me that in fact St. John Ambulance were the first and only ambulance service in many parts of England until the mid 20th Century.
