Blue Lights and Long Nights

by Les Pringle

At the age of twenty-three, Les Pringle decided to escape from office life, broaden his horizons and become an ambulance driver. Little did he realize how broad those horizons would turn out to be, as told in this heartwarming, true story of life on the frontline in 1970s Britain.

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Clive Mullis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This particular book jogged a lot of memories for me. I joined the ambulance service just a couple of years after the author, and despite being in a different part of the country, and on a rural station, I immediately recognised the characters, the situations, and the practical jokes. Ambulance people are the same everywhere.

The easy style of writing coupled with an accurate depiction of ambulance life at that time made me wallow in nostalgia. Anyone interested in true life books should find this a must read, it is slightly sanitised for public consumption, but believe me, you get an inkling of what the bad stuff is all about. The funny stuff does happen, frequently. His colleagues? Yep, them too, all real, and those types of characters are still in the service.

All in all I enjoyed reading this immensely, and will shortly go and get the sequel.

[Amber-Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's something really nostalgic about this book. That might sound strange coming from me considering I've never been a paramedic and nor was I around in the 70's, but nostalgia is nonetheless the feeling I got while reading this book. From start to finish, 'Blue Lights and Long Nights' was a thought-provoking peek at someone else's trials and tribulations - sometimes it's nice to be reminded that other people have those too.

[Suzanna Parker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Turns out Dial 999 the book I read last is a rework of this book. Therefore I actually already read this one slightly disappointed but still worth a read if you haven’t read Dial 999. But definitely you don’t need to read them both.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a retired health care professional who started training in the 70s, it was a real trip down memory lane, a reminder of health care in a different world with totally different pressures on ambulance crews and a totally different educational system for paramedics.