Give them a lanyard and teach them to fly!

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

Nelson

Mandela

The cadet system gave opportunities to young inexperienced men and women fresh out of school. Meeting the rest of the squad, their cadet training officers, and the Chief in full-dress uniform on their very first day was very foreboding.

Although many ambulance aid and driving instructors helped train the cadets the full responsibility lay with the cadet training officers. The cadet training officers looked after the squad from day one until their passing out parade. They became to each squad instrumental and father-like figures helping them along throughout the Cadet Programme which was typically two years.

Slowly, but surely, the key words of teamwork, education, support, coaching and mentoring would all click into place and shape that frightened cadet into someone who would be capable of being tasked to respond and save someone’s life. Being taught to wear the uniform with pride and say those words “Ambulance Service we are here to help you’ became part of their daily life. It was their vocation.

Classrooms for most squads were those in Quarry Street, Woolton with U squad onwards migrating to Elm House (which has only been demolished in the Summer of 2024). Cadets were still required to complete the basic Millar Ambulance Technician Qualification which was taken at Wrenbury Hall in Cheshire until 1980 when it moved to Elm House, Liverpool.

Cadets became skilled in anatomy and physiology, and all have happy memories of “Bert’s Box which was Mr Carter’s way of explaining the anatomy and physiology of the heart. They studied ICAP, LASI and FASI and under the tuition of Albert Guinney OBE learned all the muscles of the head and face. You knew a cadet was trying to impress someone when you overheard “aper neurosis, frontalis, temporalis, orbicularis oculi, orbicularis oris, buccinator, and so on.

“Through education they started to change the world of pre-hospital care in Liverpool”.

A cadet pre-requisite qualification was not a driving licence. Most cadets were taught to drive by the Ambulance Service and their tests were taken in ambulances. Post test driving experience was gained by being the duty driver who drove various vehicle types with the call sign 96. Some had affectionate names with one being called the Smurf wagon. Typical daily duties were ferrying cadets to their assignments followed by the mail run, stores run, and paragon collection from lots of hospitals. The cadet training officers often used to get an ambulance and lay on the stretcher and get the cadets to drive them around impressing upon them for every patient journey that you had to have empathy and understanding of the patient’s condition. “Treat me as though I am the Queen Mother”. Valuable life lessons.