Gregory Posted December 15, 2013 Share #1 Posted December 15, 2013 Hello, As many of you perhaps know both the British and US armed forces of WWII era used semi-rigid Neil Robertson litter (as the AAF called them) or stretcher as preferred in the Army terminology. It was excellent patent present in the US and British ships, planes, simply in every place with restricted space, as cockpits etc. Does anybody know who Neil Robertson was? Was he British or American? Any engineer, doctor, other inventor? Thanks a lot for your help and possible pieces of information about him. Best regards Gregory Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyCanteen Posted December 15, 2013 Share #2 Posted December 15, 2013 Interestingly there doesn't seem to be a lot about it, from what I have read I would presume he made improvements/modifications to the Japanese Totsuka stretcher sometime after 1910 or thereabouts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory Posted December 15, 2013 Author Share #3 Posted December 15, 2013 Thanks Rusty for your visiting this thread. Isn't world strange? Today we live in the era of fantastic Aerolite stretcher as used all over the world in all possible EMS/HEMS fixed- and rotary-wing casevac/medevac aerial crafts. I am on friendly terms with the HEMS guys so I know that Aerolite are "cult" stretcher for them. But 70, or much more, years long such a "cult" stretcher were (and still are) also Neil Robertson ones. Isn't it a big paradox that nobody knows (officially, I mean literature) who was he? Best regards Gregory Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nine O Nine Posted December 15, 2013 Share #4 Posted December 15, 2013 Neil Robertson was British and a member of the Royal Navy, there is some information on him here. Apparently it's unclear how much input he actually had into the stretchers design though. http://www.mountain.rescue.org.uk/files.php?file=The%20Oracle/Equipment/Stretchers.pdf Hope the article helps. Tom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory Posted December 15, 2013 Author Share #5 Posted December 15, 2013 Tom, Thanks a lot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nine O Nine Posted December 15, 2013 Share #6 Posted December 15, 2013 No problems Gregory. I work in EMS here in the UK and have used an original Neil Robertson in confined spaces it really is a fantastic piece of Equipment. Up to 5 years ago we had WW2 style but unmarked Neil Robertson's in stores in some of our older Ambulance Stations from civil defence days. When they got rid of them I was told I could take one if I wanted one. It makes a nice edition to my AAF and medical collections Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory Posted December 15, 2013 Author Share #7 Posted December 15, 2013 Ha! Fantastic, good opportunity to add something for your collection. Tom, do you know who manufactured those stretchers during WWII? The UK only or USA as well? Or both? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nine O Nine Posted December 15, 2013 Share #8 Posted December 15, 2013 I'm afraid I don't Gregory but I can have another look at mine and see if there are any manufacture marks on it and let you know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory Posted December 15, 2013 Author Share #9 Posted December 15, 2013 Tom, thanks, I am really very much grateful for your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hirsca Posted August 6, 2016 Share #10 Posted August 6, 2016 On vacation in Colorado. Picked one up today at a garage sale in Durango. Marked: Prescott Wilson, Inc. Aug. 17, 1944. Also marked U.S. Army Medical Department with the Caduceus inside of a circle. Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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