© 2007 Ladysmith Volunteer Rescue Squad
Ladysmith Volunteer Rescue Squad
“The First Year”
Imagine it is the summer of 1955. You have been involved in a traffic accident on Rt. 1 in Caroline County. An ambulance from either Fredericksburg or Ashland would be called for help because there was none nearby.
A group of Ladysmith area residents, headed by William S. Jones, a retired mail carrier, decided to take action. The need for a rescue squad in the area became clear and on September 20, 1955, an organizational meeting was held in Ladysmith Baptist Church, at which W. S. Jones presided. At this meeting, Mr. Jones was elected president; R. B. Barnett, vice president; Mrs. H. W. Dudley, secretary; and Stanley Hans, treasurer. Grace Hall, Arthur A. Pickett and Earl A. Baumbach were named members of a finance committee. They were to raise funds to purchase and equip an ambulance and strive to find ways and means to erect a squad headquarters on a lot donated to the organization by Miss Clara Smith. Miss Clara, as she was known, was a resident of Ladysmith and a large landowner in the area. She formerly owned nearly all of the property from which Ladysmith was developed.
Other members of the organizational committee were Miss Clara Smith, Mrs. Earl Baumbach, Myrtle Hans, Koba Jones Hockaday, Roy Brown, McWayne Rozell, Franklin Whittaker, Otis Major, A. L. Hart and Lewis Chandler. Sam Perry from the Fredericksburg Rescue Squad also offered advice and guidance during this organizational period.
A six week First Aid class was then held in October every Tuesday and Thursday night. The instructors for these classes were Henry Steigleder, Mrs. C. W. Hylton and Miss Audrey Borkey from the American Red Cross in Bowling Green. Those who completed this first aid course and became our Charter Members were: W. S. Jones, A. Earl Baumbach, Rex B. Barnett, J. Kenneth Hayes, Harold A. Hayes, Stanley Hans Charles Hockaday Oran V. Jarrell, Arthur A. Pickett, McWayne Rozell, Sr., George W. Tingler. A number of ladies also completed the course and a ladies auxiliary would later be formed.
Miss Clara made the down payment of $765.96 on a 1956 Pontiac ambulance to be used by the squad. She also stood as security to finance the remainder of the purchase price which, after a credit of $752.55 given by the Burke Pontiac Agency in Fredericksburg, amounted to $2,000. Oran Jarrell, a charter member, came up with an idea to raise funds to finance the purchase of the ambulance. He owned and operated Jarrell & Glancy Truck Terminal just south of Carmel Church on Rt. 1. His idea was for the truck drivers to register as a contributing member for the sum of $1 each. An annual fund drive was held at the truck stop. If needing to be transported by ambulance, their $1 donation entitled them to free transport by Ladysmith Rescue. We made numerous transports from northern states such as Delaware, New Jersey, etc. back to their home in North Carolina since that was where most of them lived. This free service was still available up until the 1970s.
At a December 9th meeting of the rescue squad, Oran Jarrell as spokesman for the truck drivers reimbursed Miss Clara for the down payment. The truck drivers also assumed the obligation of meeting the payments on the remaining $2,000 as they became due.
The squad needed a wheeled stretcher for use in the ambulance. A North Carolina truck driver, G. C. Dean, driver for Akers Motor Line, gave this much needed article which would have cost the squad $150.
At the December 19th squad meeting, a building fund was set up for erecting a squad headquarters at the present site. Miss Clara donated the sum of $595 to be used for this purpose. Numerous fund raising activities were held such as a skating party, auction, a dance, donkey basketball and donkey baseball. Also, twelve girls collected donations for the squad and the girl who collected the largest sum was crowned “Miss Ladysmith Rescue Squad”. This honor was bestowed on Judy Allen Broaddus.
The 1956 Pontiac was received the last week in November, 1955 and made ready for running calls becoming the first ambulance in Caroline County. To show appreciation for their contributions, the words “Donated by U. S. Route 1 Truck Drivers” were lettered on the side of the ambulance.
We operated out of approximately 360 sq. ft. in a small building that Miss Clara allowed us to use near Central Dryve Inn, a restaurant operated by Jim & Lena Carlson. This building was just torn down recently.
A phone was in the building and when it rang, a large bell on the porch would ring to alert anyone nearby. In the daytime, calls for help would come into a phone extension located in “Pop” Jones home directly across Rt. 1. He would take the information and enlist others to help him with the call. At night, members manned the building. At a later date, the phone extension was located at Hillcrest Service Station and Kenny Hayes took over the job of finding someone to run the daytime calls.
Pop’s wife, Stella, laundered the sheets and other linens until Louisa Laundry began picking up and doing them some time later.
The first recorded rescue calls were on December 18, 1955.
Call # 1 – 1:00 a.m. This call was for an auto accident with injuries at Caroline Inn. Two members ran the call – Arthur Picket and George Tingler. No transport was necessary.
Call # 2 – 9:45 a.m. – This was an auto accident at North Hanover. The patient had a head injury and was transported to Medical College by W. S. Jones, Rex Barnett and Stanley Hans.
Call # 3 – 12:10 p.m. – This was an auto accident at Arcadia. The patient had head and knee injuries and was transported to Mary Washington Hospital by W. S. Jones and Earl Baumbach.
At the end of one month of operation, we had answered a total of 26 calls.
A Squad election was held on December 19th and Earl Baumbach was elected Captain, Kenny Hayes – Lieutenant and Harold Hayes – Supply Sgt.
About a month later, the Squad had accumulated sufficient funds to purchase a Stevenson Resuscitator for $350. With this equipment, oxygen could be administered while the patient was being transported to the hospital.
This Resuscitator was first used for a call a week later. It was for a lady who had fallen into a well. Arthur Pickett, George Tingler and Stanley Hans responded to the call. The lady was in the well clinging to the curbing with 15 feet of water below her and the top of the well 20 feet above. Squadsman Pickett was lowered into the well on a rope and secured the lady with a second rope and started her on a safe journey to the top of the well where she was removed by squadsmen and neighbors who had gathered. She was then placed in the ambulance, oxygen was administered by means of the new resuscitator and she was transported to MCV in Richmond.
We became a part of the Fourth District Rescue Squad Association in February and Stanley Hans and Harold Hayes attended the first meeting.
In April 1956, we added six new members. They were James Carlson, Sr., James Carlson, Jr., Cliff Durrett, Tyrus Durrett, Carl Hayes and Roger Terry. Two youngsters, age 14, Bill Carlson and Kenny Jones, began going on calls even though they were not officially members.
We had our first official Fund Drive in 1956 from May 15th to June 15th. We were trying to raise funds to erect a suitable headquarters on the present site which was donated by Miss Clara Smith.
During the first year of operation, the Squad answered a total of 273 calls:
102 – Auto Accidents, 20 – OB, 66 – Transports, 12 – Heart Attacks, 4 – Shootings,
5 – Cuttings, 6 – Standby @ various sports activities, 8 – False Alarms, 1 – Search
& Rescue, 1 -
The Squad received $2,113.39 during this first year and paid out $1,827.24 leaving a balance on hand of $286.15 as of December 18, 1956. At this time, we also had a building fund of $600 and an ambulance fund of $106.
As you can see, the first year presented the Squad with many challenges. We have come from when we were not even allowed to take a blood pressure to today when we perform many tasks previously only allowed in the emergency room. These charter members met the challenges and laid the groundwork for where we are today. We are very proud of this group who had the foresight and motivation to start this organization. We say thank you to them and to the community who has given us generous support through the years.
