London’s only known surviving wartime ambulance to star on ITV this Remembrance Sunday

The only known surviving London ambulance used during the Blitz will feature on ITV this Remembrance Sunday. 

The 1935 Clements Talbot, part of the London Ambulance Service Historic Collection, will be showcased on Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh on Sunday 8 November at 9.30am. 

In the special remembrance episode, original emergency service vehicles used during the war years will be brought together at Manor Farm in Hampshire, where the series is filmed.  

Viewers will hear about the Talbot ambulance's remarkable history. 

Craig Henty, Head of the London Ambulance Service Historic Collection, joined Alan Titchmarsh for filming. 

He said: “Alan Titchmarsh was as lovely in person as he is on our TV screens, and he has a real love of heritage vehicles, so of course he was very interested in hearing how the Talbot was used during the Blitz. 

"For me, the pleasure is in bringing its rich history to life and helping more people discover the ambulance and the incredible men and women who worked in it during such a challenging and frightening time in our history. ” 

Built from wood and steel, the Talbot entered service in 1935 and remained in use until around 1950. 

During the Blitz, ambulance crews – many of them women volunteers – headed out as incendiary bombs fell. They had to steer their way through rubble to reach people trapped in bomb-damaged buildings before taking the injured to hospital. 

Extra brackets were fitted to the ambulance allowing it to carry four patient stretchers instead of two.  

Craig keeps the ambulance stocked with medical equipment from the period alongside other wartime items including tin helmets and gas masks. 

After years off the road, the ambulance was restored to running condition with help from the Talbot Owners Club. Donations from members of the public helped fund specialist parts. 

The restoration enabled the ambulance to go on display around the south east, including alongside an iconic Spitfire at Imperial War Museum Duxford’s History Festival in 2025. 

The historic ambulance is no stranger to the screen, having previously appeared in productions including the epic war film Battle of Britain, the TV series Poirot, and more recently Channel 5's The Blitz with Rob Rinder and Ruth Goodman.  

The ambulance’s latest television appearance will be broadcast in Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh at 9.30am on ITV on Remembrance Sunday, 8 November.   

You can find out more about the London Ambulance Service Historic Collection here.