Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes
Encyclopedia
The Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes (NAAFI) (icon) is an organisation created by the British
government in 1921 to run recreational establishments needed by the British Armed Forces
, and to sell goods to servicemen and their families. It runs clubs, bars, shops, supermarkets, launderettes, restaurants, cafés and other facilities on most British military bases and also canteens on board Royal Navy
ships. Commissioned officers are not usually supposed to use the NAAFI clubs and bars, since their mess
es provide these facilities and their entry, except on official business, is considered to be an intrusion into junior ranks' private lives.
NAAFI personnel serving aboard ship are part of the Naval Canteen Service (NCS), wear naval uniform and have action stations
, but remain civilians. NAAFI personnel can also join the Expeditionary Force Institutes (EFI), which provides NAAFI facilities in war zones. EFI personnel are members of the Territorial Army serving on special engagements, bear ranks and wear uniform. NCS personnel can similarly volunteer to join the Royal Navy when it goes on active service. Petty Officer John Steven Leake, NCS canteen manager in HMS Ardent
, was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal
(DSM) in the 1982 Falklands War
for his courage while manning a machine gun
.
and by April 1944 the NAAFI ran 7,000 canteens and had 96,000 personnel (expanded from fewer than 600 canteens and 4,000 personnel in 1939). It also controlled ENSA
, the forces entertainment organisation. In the 1940 Battle of France
alone, the EFI had nearly 3,000 personnel and 230 canteens.
Male EFI personnel were members of the Royal Army Service Corps
until 1965, then the Royal Army Ordnance Corps
. Since 1993 they have been members of the Royal Logistic Corps
. Female personnel were members of the Auxiliary Territorial Service
until 1949, then the Women's Royal Army Corps
until 1992, when they joined the RAOC (and later the RLC).
In addition to being the name of the Institute, NAAFI is also used in British service talk as a noun for a type of break, i.e. a "NAAFI break" -which means short break or tea break;
or an insult to the character of another soldier i.e.:- "He's NAAFI!" (No Ambition And F**k-all Interest), also NAAFI has been said to mean "Never 'Ave Any Fags In" with reference to the continuous lack of Cigarettes.
NAAFI Today
NAAFI is now operating out of bases in British Forces Germany and Northern Ireland. They are responsible, in Germany, for the supply of all functions in the catering, retail and leisure. This means the running of the Soldiers', Seniors' and Officers' Messes and Canteen a selection of shops and supermarkets and outlets for the purchase of tax-free cars.
The NAAFI operate a contract that is in partnership with the British Army and the soldiers and civilians work together to provide many of the functions. This is a well mapped partnership owing to a gain share mechanism that sends money from NAAFI profits back into the welfare return for soldiers and their families.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
government in 1921 to run recreational establishments needed by the British Armed Forces
British Armed Forces
The British Armed Forces are the armed forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.Also known as Her Majesty's Armed Forces and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown, the British Armed Forces encompasses three professional uniformed services, the Royal Navy, the...
, and to sell goods to servicemen and their families. It runs clubs, bars, shops, supermarkets, launderettes, restaurants, cafés and other facilities on most British military bases and also canteens on board Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
ships. Commissioned officers are not usually supposed to use the NAAFI clubs and bars, since their mess
Mess
A mess is the place where military personnel socialise, eat, and live. In some societies this military usage has extended to other disciplined services eateries such as civilian fire fighting and police forces. The root of mess is the Old French mes, "portion of food" A mess (also called a...
es provide these facilities and their entry, except on official business, is considered to be an intrusion into junior ranks' private lives.
NAAFI personnel serving aboard ship are part of the Naval Canteen Service (NCS), wear naval uniform and have action stations
Action Stations
Action Stations is the general signal to the personnel of a warship that combat with a hostile attacker is imminent or deemed probable...
, but remain civilians. NAAFI personnel can also join the Expeditionary Force Institutes (EFI), which provides NAAFI facilities in war zones. EFI personnel are members of the Territorial Army serving on special engagements, bear ranks and wear uniform. NCS personnel can similarly volunteer to join the Royal Navy when it goes on active service. Petty Officer John Steven Leake, NCS canteen manager in HMS Ardent
HMS Ardent (F184)
HMS Ardent was a Royal Navy Type 21 frigate. Built by Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd, Glasgow, Scotland. She was completed with Exocet launchers in 'B' position...
, was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal
Distinguished Service Medal (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Service Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the Royal Navy and members of the other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, up to and including the rank of Chief Petty Officer, for bravery and resourcefulness on active service...
(DSM) in the 1982 Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
for his courage while manning a machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
.
Foundation
Prior to 1914, each unit ran its own canteen, mostly contracted out to private firms. In Victorian times they had a reputation for being expensive, corrupt, unpleasant, and selling inferior goods. In 1894, three Army officers founded the Canteen and Mess Co-operative Society, which improved the situation immensely. It bought canteen goods in bulk and sold them on to the regimental canteens. During the First World War the Expeditionary Force Canteens were created for service overseas, run by uniformed members of the Army Service Corps and absorbing the Canteen and Mess Co-operative Society. On 1 January 1917 the Army Canteen Committee was created to take over canteens at home, later becoming the Navy and Army Canteen Board. In 1919 this also took over the Expeditionary Force Canteens. On 1 January 1921 the Navy and Army Canteen Board formed the nucleus of the NAAFI.Second World War
The NAAFI's greatest contribution was during the Second World War. The Chairman & CEO during the war years was Sir Lancelot RoyleLancelot Royle
Sir Lancelot Carrington Royle KBE was a British olympian and businessman.Royle was an Olympic athlete , Chairman and CEO of Allied Suppliers Ltd., Home and Colonial Stores Ltd., Lipton Ltd., NAAFI and one of Britain’s leading 20th century retail businessmen.- Education :Lancelot Royle was the son...
and by April 1944 the NAAFI ran 7,000 canteens and had 96,000 personnel (expanded from fewer than 600 canteens and 4,000 personnel in 1939). It also controlled ENSA
Entertainments National Service Association
The Entertainments National Service Association or ENSA was an organisation set up in 1939 by Basil Dean and Leslie Henson to provide entertainment for British armed forces personnel during World War II. ENSA operated as part of the Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes...
, the forces entertainment organisation. In the 1940 Battle of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
alone, the EFI had nearly 3,000 personnel and 230 canteens.
Male EFI personnel were members of the Royal Army Service Corps
Royal Army Service Corps
The Royal Army Service Corps was a corps of the British Army. It was responsible for land, coastal and lake transport; air despatch; supply of food, water, fuel, and general domestic stores such as clothing, furniture and stationery ; administration of...
until 1965, then the Royal Army Ordnance Corps
Royal Army Ordnance Corps
The Royal Army Ordnance Corps was a corps of the British Army. It dealt only with the supply and maintenance of weaponry, munitions and other military equipment until 1965, when it took over most other supply functions, as well as the provision of staff clerks, from the Royal Army Service...
. Since 1993 they have been members of the Royal Logistic Corps
Royal Logistic Corps
The Royal Logistic Corps provides logistic support functions to the British Army. It is the largest Corps in the Army, comprising around 17% of its strength...
. Female personnel were members of the Auxiliary Territorial Service
Auxiliary Territorial Service
The Auxiliary Territorial Service was the women's branch of the British Army during the Second World War...
until 1949, then the Women's Royal Army Corps
Women's Royal Army Corps
The Women's Royal Army Corps was the corps to which all women in the British Army except medical, dental and veterinary officers and chaplains and nurses belonged from 1949 to 1992.-History:The...
until 1992, when they joined the RAOC (and later the RLC).
NAAFI in British culture
- The 1950s BBC RadioBBC RadioBBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
comedy series The Goon ShowThe Goon ShowThe Goon Show was a British radio comedy programme, originally produced and broadcast by the BBC Home Service from 1951 to 1960, with occasional repeats on the BBC Light Programme...
often made reference to the NAAFI in scripts, mostly by Peter SellersPeter SellersRichard Henry Sellers, CBE , known as Peter Sellers, was a British comedian and actor. Perhaps best known as Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther film series, he is also notable for playing three different characters in Dr...
' character, Major Dennis Bloodnok. One episode was entitled The Jet-Propelled Guided NAAFI. - The expression "You're as dim as a NAAFI candle" (i.e. stupid) is an update of the Great War veteran's slang "dim as a Toc H lamp".
- The expression to lie "like a cheap NAAFI watch" unfairly relies on the supposed shoddy workmanship of said equipment.
- In the "Camping Out" episode of Are You Being Served?Are You Being Served?Are You Being Served? is a British sitcom broadcast from 1972 to 1985. It was set in the ladies' and gentlemen's clothing departments of Grace Brothers, a large, fictional London department store. It was written mainly by Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft, with contributions by Michael Knowles and John...
, when Mr Rumbold mentions he was in the Army Catering CorpsArmy Catering CorpsThe Army Catering Corps was a corps of the British Army, responsible for the feeding of all Army units. It was originally formed in March 1941 as part of the Royal Army Service Corps, and became a corps in its own right in 1965....
, Mr Lucas incorrectly assumes that Mr Rumbold actually worked in the NAAFI. - In Chapter 16 of Lucky JimLucky JimLucky Jim is an academic satire written by Kingsley Amis, first published in 1954 by Victor Gollancz. It was Amis's first novel, and won the Somerset Maugham Award for fiction...
, Dixon recalls that Margaret's face reminded him of a man who "had never been seen doing anything except sweeping out the N.A.A.F.I and wiping his nose on his sleeve." - A further reference is a quote in J. Lee Thompson's 'Ice Cold in Alex', whether the Gin carried by Captain van der Poel / Hauptman Otto Lutz was 'Import' or NAAFI, obviously raising concerns about the spirit's quality.
In addition to being the name of the Institute, NAAFI is also used in British service talk as a noun for a type of break, i.e. a "NAAFI break" -which means short break or tea break;
or an insult to the character of another soldier i.e.:- "He's NAAFI!" (No Ambition And F**k-all Interest), also NAAFI has been said to mean "Never 'Ave Any Fags In" with reference to the continuous lack of Cigarettes.
NAAFI Today
NAAFI is now operating out of bases in British Forces Germany and Northern Ireland. They are responsible, in Germany, for the supply of all functions in the catering, retail and leisure. This means the running of the Soldiers', Seniors' and Officers' Messes and Canteen a selection of shops and supermarkets and outlets for the purchase of tax-free cars.
The NAAFI operate a contract that is in partnership with the British Army and the soldiers and civilians work together to provide many of the functions. This is a well mapped partnership owing to a gain share mechanism that sends money from NAAFI profits back into the welfare return for soldiers and their families.