Mobile Bath and Laundry Units

Discussion in 'REME/RAOC' started by shunnerp, Jun 26, 2009.

  1. LCplCombat

    LCplCombat Member

    Soldiers of 10 MBU which i think was Canadian.
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    If anyone has the wherewithall to retrieve them, I can tell you that at least one complete MLBU is located at the bottom of the Suez Canal and another one that went down on the Atlantic Conveyer.
     
  2. Noel Burgess

    Noel Burgess Senior Member

    There are some undated photos of a mobile laundry setup om Stiltime Here
     
  3. Tom Canning

    Tom Canning WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    For a bit of a giggle- click on to "STRASSBURG Pt 2 on the BBC war series link below

    Cheers
     
  4. RosyRedd

    RosyRedd Senior Member

    For a bit of a giggle- click on to "STRASSBURG Pt 2 on the BBC war series link below

    Cheers

    Not all bad then Tom ! - don't suppose many of you would have averted your eyes when the doors burst open !!! :D

    Jules.
     
  5. Tom Canning

    Tom Canning WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Jules
    They were good sports in those days and didn't take offence but entered into the spirit of the giggle - to-day - the law suits would be flying - and we would be called worse than choc ices......shame we have lost all that humour
    Cheers
     
  6. RosyRedd

    RosyRedd Senior Member

    Jules
    They were good sports in those days and didn't take offence but entered into the spirit of the giggle - to-day - the law suits would be flying - and we would be called worse than choc ices......shame we have lost all that humour
    Cheers

    Doesn't bear - *groan* - thinking about nowadays :)
     
  7. RosyRedd

    RosyRedd Senior Member

    Just seen this in RAOC regimental history:

    "...mobile laundries were reinforced from those attached to casualty clearing stations so as to increase the capacity for washing blankets.

    More mobile laundries and bath units were sent forward to deal with the needs of liberated prisoners-of-war, displaced persons and the internees of Belsen and other concentration camps. Within 48 hours of the capture of Belsen 304 Mobile Laundry was working there, shortly to be followed by 304, 105, 305 and 310 Bath Sections."
     
  8. Meinardus

    Meinardus New Member

    Hi

    Can any of you help me, please?

    Not long ago I came into possession of my granddad's medals (War medal, defence medal and France and Germany Star) and decided to do some research to find out more about his wartime service. Sadly though, I don't have much information to go on. As a child I remember being told by him that he had served in "the Bath Unit", had been in France soon after D-Day, had gone through, Belgium, Holland and Germany and had remained there until after the war; besides that, he didn't talk much about the war, he didn't keep any memorabilia - apart from his medals and a couple of photos - as far as I'm aware and I was still in my early teens when he passed away back in the late '70s.

    As far back as I can remember I have been under the impression that he had been in the RASC. I have no idea where that thought came from, but from what I can make out from a grainy and blurred 3/4 side on view of his cap badge on one of his photos, it looks like he may have been badged RAOC, although I can't be 100% sure.

    Another Image - a portrait style photo - has been censored so you can't see his cap badge, shoulder title or Arm of Service strip, but his Divisional patch is uncensored and together with his Tam o'Shanter he was clearly in 15th (Scottish) Inf Div when the picture was taken. The only other thing I know for sure is that he was stationed in Derby at some point (possibly from 1942 until June '44?)

    Thanks to all you guys for your threads and associated links about Mobile Laundry and Bath Units, though, plus some background info on 15 (Scottish) Inf Div, I have concluded that he was probably in 305 MLBU and in any case now have a much clearer idea of where he was, when and what he was doing. But it's all very general in nature and I would love to have a more personal history of his war. I can't request his service records from the MoD, because they require more info than I currently have, in order to conduct a search and I have asked for a quote from the National Archives for 305 MLBU's war diaries, but again it's only an educated guess that this was even his Unit and living abroad makes a visit to Kew more difficult. So I thought I would enlist your help first to try and narrow down my search - if anyone has any information on 305 MLBU that they are willing to share with me, or (and I know this is a bit needle-in-haystack-like) any information specifically on my granddad - Pte Arthur Hollyman - serving in 305 (or any other MLBU for that matter) during the period 1942 -1946 I would be very grateful.

    Many thanks
     
  9. Lotus7

    Lotus7 Well-Known Member

    Welcome to the Forum (merry Xmas). What an interesting thread often wondered how the soldiers where able to keep washed.

    Lotus7.
     
  10. Smudger Jnr

    Smudger Jnr Our Man in Berlin

    Meinardus,

    Hello and welcome to the Forum.

    Good luck with your Research.

    Have you exhausted all Family Connections for Information? I think Full Name and Date of Birth should be sufficient to obtain the records, but obviously the more Information you can pass on the better.

    Regards
    Tom
     
  11. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    Should he not also have had a 1939-45 star ? I believe that they both had a six months qualification period...but the regulations are complex.
     
  12. Meinardus

    Meinardus New Member

    Hello Tom, and thank you,

    Sadly I have already exhausted the family connections and am now passing information back to them. You are absolutely right that full name and DoB only are required for this kind of data search - I had not read the forms correctly and was under the misapprehension that all the fields were mandatory. In the mean time I would still love to hear from anyone with relevant information as per my first post above.

    Regards and season's greetings to all
     
  13. Meinardus

    Meinardus New Member

    Good point Rich Payne, the three he has are still in the box in their original grease-proof packets and included is an official list of wartime medals with the relevant three annotated as his entitlement, so he can't have qualified for the 1939-45 Star. Seems strange - either an oversight or perhaps he never completed his 180 days!?
     
  14. Rneil

    Rneil Member

    Joining the conversation a bit late. TThe attached link has lots of info on the New Zealand Mobile Laundry and Bath Units in North Africa and Italy
    https://wp.me/p4YOZp-3e
     
    Aixman likes this.

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