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Tunbridge Wells was one of the first stops for soldiers going to, or returning, from the front. Many were billeted in the town with tented encampments on the common.

At the time attitudes towards women were such that there were concerns about prostitution and undesirable women hanging around the camps offering to do the soldiers’ washing.

It was suggested a laundry be set up. Local woman Amelia Scott, already known for her war work organising relief services such as soup kitchens and hostels, rose to the challenge.

Sara Parker spoke to Dr Anne Logan of the University of Kent about this remarkable woman and the laundry with its free mending service run by volunteers. She tracked down Helen Boyce, a Scott family descendent and visited the chapel at Pembury. This is the last remaining building of the old hospital with a memorial window to Amelia Scott; one of Tunbridge Wells unsung heroines.

Location: 44 Grosvenor Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 2AS
Image: Women outside the laundry, courtesy of the Women’s Library

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