St. John Ambulance

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St. John Ambulance is an international charity, based in England, dedicated to the teaching and practice of medical first aid. There are many groups (priories) across different countries, and the collective falls under the direction of the Order of St. John. The order's mottoes are Pro fide (For the faith) and Pro utilitate hominum (For the service of mankind). The 'Priory of England and the Islands' has recently (and controversially) replaced the latin mottoes with a single English sentence: "For the faith and in the service of humanity".

1 The name "St. John Ambulance"
2 International structure of the organisation
3 National and regional implementations of St. John Ambulance
4 The Ophthalmic Hospital in Jerusalem
5 Key dates within the international history of Order of St. John
6 See also
7 External links

[edit] The name "St. John Ambulance"

The unusual name of the organisation has been known to cause confusion to members of the public, and many people often assume that the "St. John" prefix indicates a church related organisation. In fact, in its modern guise, the prefix refers to the Order of St. John and is used as an adjective. However, it is often assumed to be used as a noun, and this leads to the organisation being frequently incorrectly termed "St. John's Ambulance", a long standing source of irritation to some members. This is further perpetuated since members on duty are often referred to collectively as "St. John's".

In terms of the Order, the original allegiance was to John the Baptist, however this allegiance is not inherited by St. John Ambulance.

A lot of St. John Ambulance members refer to themselves as 'Jonners'.

[edit] International structure of the organisation

Falling under the direction of the Order of St. John, St. John Ambulance mirrors the structure of the Order. The Order is divided internationally into Priories, reflecting the monastic history of the original Knights Hospitaller. However, these modern priories are not monastic in nature and are used purely as terminology within the organisation. Eight priories are prescribed by the Order of St. John Regulations:

The Priory of England and the Islands
The Priory of Scotland
The Priory in Australia
The Priory of Canada
The Priory in New Zealand
The Priory for South Africa
The Priory in the United States of America
The Priory for Wales

The Priory of England and the Islands is the home priory of the Order, and any country which does not belong to its own dedicated priory is assumed into this home priory. Most of these are small commonwealth islands or countries where there is only a minor presence.

That said, the relationship between the Order of St. John and St. John Ambulance is not directly paralleled. Most members of St. John Ambulance are not themselves members of the Order and vice versa, so a major presence of the Order does not dictate a major presence of St. John Ambulance. Most notably, the Order of St. John is a Christian organisation, whereas St. John Ambulance is keen to ensure there is no allegiance to any particular religion or denomination, so as to remain available to all. This explains somewhat why a breakdown into Priories may not be tantamount to a breakdown of St. John Ambulance. St. John Ambulance works on a more geographical nature than the Order, and has to contend with the differing national laws, medical practices and cultures of countries.

St. John Ambulance is a ranked organisation, and members fall into a hierarchical structure of command. St. John Ambulance ranks run from Member, through Corporals, Sergeants and Officers all the way up to high national ranks. Ranks vary between Priories, however, and it is hard to generalise the structure too much from an international perspective.

[edit] National and regional implementations of St. John Ambulance

Due to the significant differences between St. John Ambulance in different countries, separate articles are provided for each independent presence:

[edit] The Ophthalmic Hospital in Jerusalem

Another foundation the Order of St. John maintains is the Ophthalmic Hospital in Jerusalem, which provides comprehensive patient care and nursing treatment to sufferers from eye disease in the Jerusalem region.

[edit] Key dates within the international history of Order of St. John

1511: The young King Henry VIII was named protector of the Order
1540: The original Order of St. John, the Knights Hospitallers is disbanded in England by Henry VIII
1826: An idea to re-establish the Order within England is put forward by some remaining French Knights of the original worldwide Order
1841: The "St. John's Day Declaration" is prepared to seek official recognition of the new Order by the original Order, now known as SMOM
10 July 1877: St. John Ambulance Association formed to teach first-aid in large railway centres and mining districts
June 1887: St. John Ambulance Brigade is formed as an uniformed organisation to provide a First Aid and Ambulance services at public events
14 May 1888: English Order of St. John is granted royal charter by Queen Victoria