South Yorkshire Times, November 25th 1944
With Front Line Laundry
Thurnscoe Man’s Unusual Job
Laundrymen in battle-dress are doing valuable work in the mobile laundry and bath unit, which went to Normandy with the D-Day 50th (Northumbrian) Division, and has been with it ever since. The three officers and 63 other ranks in the unit can do the laundry of 2,000 men daily and bath 200 men in an hour.
A new system introduced provides the soldier with a bath and complete change of underclothing at the same time. The dirty under clothing is collected, washed then dried in a high temperature, which removes all possible risk of any infection.
“Tommies” operate the washing and drying machines, mounted on six 10-ton trailers. The unit gives a 24-hour service, dirty clothing in one day, out the next. Blankets or battle-dresses, shirts, or socks, everything the troops need washing. Four boilers each provide sufficient water for six shower baths rigged up in a marquee. Twenty-four men can have a separate bath at a time. Every man in the unit must be able to handle a rifle and other small arms.
Among original members of the unit still with it is Pte. Douglas Brown (27), son of Mr. and Mrs. Townend, of 52, Brunswick Street, Thurnscoe. He is actually driving in the unit supplying troops in the front line with baths and laundry and likes his job. He was educated at Wath Grammar School and employed at Hickleton Main Colliery, and later at Leeds.
At the time of joining the Army four years ago, he was employed in the printing trade. He served 2½ years in the Middle East, coming home last March and went to France a month after the invasion. His younger sister is serving in the Land Army, and he has three cousins who have been with the Forces in India for the last three years. He has sent home souvenirs from Holland, including ornamental ships and wooden clogs.