Princess Elizabeth in the cab of an Austin ambulance, 1945

Photograph, World War Two, Home Front (1939-1945), 1945.

Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) in February 1945 as a subaltern. By the end of the war she had reached the rank of junior commander, having completed her course at No 1 Mechanical Training Centre of the ATS, and passed out as a fully qualified driver.

Introduced in 1927 after extensive trials, the Austin K2 ambulance was used widely by British and Commonwealth forces throughout World War Two (1939-1945). A total of 13,102 were made between 1939 and 1945. It was powered by an Austin six cylinder petrol engine and the body, built by Mann Egerton, was designed to carry four stretchers or ten seated casualties. In practice the ambulances often carried many more wounded.

From a collection of photographs relating to the Auxiliary Territorial Service, 1939-1949.