RAF NCO Aircrew Laundry

[Halibagguru]

How did RAF NCO aircrew do their laundry during WW2? Was there a station laundry they sent it to; or did they wash it themselves? Did they perhaps send their uniforms, bedding, shirts etc to the laundry but wash their own smalls?

Try as I might I have not been able to find out how aircrew sergeants did their laundry. I even asked an ex-RAF NCO who was in WW2 but he wasn’t sure, fair enough it was a very long time ago. I struggle remembering last week lol.

Cheers

[bvs]

Hi Hali
I am afraid the answer is probably a bit of everything :)
At home in Blighty - the 'proper' RAF Stations would have a Station Laundry but I doubt that the smaller and/or more temporary Stations/Airfields did.
If no Laundry available then it would be up to the individual to either DIY it or arrange for (say) some local ladies to do it for a small fee.
Abroad of course in certain countries many pilots would have some form of personal or shared servant who would either do the laundry or arrange for somebody to do it (ie 'Dhobie Wallah').

A letter home by Flt Sgt Roy Fennell 8/2/1944

https://www.jcproctor.co.uk/ww2-raf-...ll-letter-home



Sorry about the bold black image above - the page I clipped it from was black with white text :(

[bvs]

Just as a little aside - sometimes nothing much changes.

I worked as a civvy for the Zimbabwe AF in 1984/85 and stayed in the Sergeants Mess - Laundry was done for me by the local Mess Staff - hell they even Ironed my undies (a necessary precaution to kill off a particular creepy crawley).

The towel I am using at the moment has 'C138' marked on the little label as a memento from a 3 week 'holiday Cruise' on HMS Invicible - we stayed in the Chiefs Mess and C138 was my Mess Number for Laundry etc (it was still a Chinese Laundry).Not bad to still be legible after 25 years :)

[Halibagguru]

Thank you, that is very helpful and makes sense. I thought there would probably be a station laundry, the former NCO I know said he thought there was but couldn't really remember. Now you have said about local women doing their laundry it sparked a memory in me of my nan saying something about it, there was an army camp near her during WW2.

Cheers