St John Ambulance

St John Ambulance Foundation
	St John Ambulance Foundation logo
	Countries with national organizations affiliated to SJA
Abbreviation	SJA
Formation	1877
Purpose	Medical care, humanitarian relief, youth programmes
Headquarters	Priory House, 25 St John's Lane, Clerkenwell, London EC1M 4PP, England, United Kingdom
Membership	39 national organizations
Parent organization	Order of St John
Affiliations	Johanniter International
Volunteers	250,000
Website	http://www.orderofstjohn.org

St John Ambulance, branded as St John in some territories, is a common name used by a number of affiliated organizations in different countries dedicated to the teaching and practice of medical first aid and the provision of ambulance services, all of which derive their origins from the St John Ambulance Association founded in 1877 in England. Each national group falls within the charge of a Priory or National Council of the Venerable Order of Saint John in which each Priory ranks alongside the others.

In several priories St John Ambulance has commercial sections or subsidiaries operating to generate surplus for charitable activities, these are structured much like other commercial bodies. The membership aspect of St John Ambulance is largely ranked, and members fall into a hierarchical structure of command. Ranks run from corporals, through sergeants and officers all the way up to high national ranks, but there is significant variation between Priories and it is hard to generalise the structure too much from an international perspective.

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 organization, 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. 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.

National and regional

The legal status of each organization varies by country, in both England and Wales the resident St John Ambulance organizations are simultaneously but separately registered as charities and companies; differently, St John Ambulance South Africa (for the sake of example) is a distinct entity registered as a "public benefit organization".

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

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.

Name and mottoes

In formal British English, where the Order of St John is based, St is the abbreviated form of Saint, whilst St. is the abbreviation of Street. Corporate and National logos began to reflect this as a change from St. (with the dot) in 2006-7. ^{[citation needed]}

The unusual name of the organization 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 organization. In fact, in its modern form, the prefix refers to the Order of St. John (which in fact is a religious organization) and is used as an adjective. However, it is often assumed to be used as a noun, and this leads to the organization 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; this allegiance is not however inherited by St John Ambulance.

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 replaced the Latin mottoes with a single English sentence: "For the faith and in the service of humanity", which some see as a controversial move. However in December 2006 it was agreed by Priory Council that this move should be partially reversed and the Latin mottoes were reintroduced in the Cadet Code of Chivalry.

Structure of the Order

The order is not to be confused with the Sovereign Military Order of Malta or other members of the Alliance of the Orders of St. John of Jerusalem. There are also "copycat" organizations using the St John name which are not generally recognised by members of the Alliance of Orders of St. John.

International

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 organization. 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 in which there is only a minor presence.

That said, the relationship between the Order of St. John and St. John Ambulance is not directly paralleled. This explains somewhat why a breakdown into Priories may not be tantamount to a breakdown of St John Ambulance.

Key dates

1511: The young King Henry VIII was named protector of the Order .
1540: The English branch of the Order of St John, the Knights Hospitallers, property is confiscated 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, seeking official recognition of the new English 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 a uniformed organization 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.
1908: By mutual agreement with St Andrew's Ambulance Association, St John Ambulance Association ceased operating in Scotland but the Order continued to operate.
1999 The Order of St John celebrated its 900th anniversary worldwide

External links