I wish I knew more about Jack Townend!
If there were contenders for the perfect book, then Jack Townend's A Railway ABC would make my short list. It's the most marvellously crafted little gem, beautiful lithographed Freedman-esque lettering with cheerful illustrations of Lewitt-Him influenced railway scenes. The European influences shine through and Townend must surely have been an admirer of Lebedev's 1920s books for Russian children. It was printed at Gilmour & Dean, in Glasgow, whereas his other books for Faber were printed at The Baynard Press where it is likely that he would have come into contact with Barnett Freedman and certainly Thomas Griffits, the master lithographer at Baynard. Townend wrote and illustrated 4 little books for Faber, all during WW2 as well as the more well-known The Clothes We Wear for Noel Carrington's Puffin Picture Book series.
After the war he taught at Ruskin School of Art, tutoring Shirley Hughes, but that's about all I can find out about him.

After his short run of Faber books Townend seems to have given up his illustrating career, aside from the Puffin, but even that was commissioned during the war years. Given the remarkable illustrations he achieved during the war this seems all the more strange. If there's anyone who can help with any further details I'd love to hear more.