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435:, then Secretary of State for War, set up a committee to advise on the kind of organisation which would be needed for the Armed Forces in the future. The findings were unanimous; there should be one organisation to serve all three services, it should be permanent and it should be able to rapidly expand or contract at times of war or peace. The Navy, Army, Air Force Institutes was therefore established on 6 December 1920 and started trading as NAAFI in 1921.
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643:'s war memoirs. Every week his artillery unit is serviced by the NAAFI, who bring round the NAAFI rations of cigarettes, etc., as well as selling various other sundries such as shoelaces. Even when Milligan leaves the Army, as he is part of an army entertainment troupe, he still gets issued with a NAAFI ration each week.
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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 is a short break or tea break; or an insult to the character of another soldier, e.g. "He's NAAFI!" (No Aim, Ambition and Fuck-all Interest). NAAFI has
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The
Government was unprepared for the problem of supplying and feeding the forces on a scale never before experienced, so a large Army entered the field with insufficient official provision. Fortunately the Canteen and Mess Society was still active and was the only contractor which was more concerned
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Even with the extra money and their combined strength, the service could not be increased fast enough to match the huge expansion of the Armed Forces. In the meantime, many new contractors were finding loopholes for exploiting the situation and it became clear that safeguards were needed to protect
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After the First World War, the
Expeditionary Force Canteens (EFC) and the Navy and Army Canteen Board (NACB) did not return to the gratitude of the nation. This was because EFC had made a large amount of profit from the sales of goods to the troops and opinion was divided as to what should be done
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In
January 1915, a Board of Control was formed and exactly two years later the Army Canteen Committee was registered at the Board of Trade as a company trading not for profit. It absorbed the Canteen and Mess Society, and took over the contracts of Dickenson's and all the other firms supplying the
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For the first time the troops overseas were able to buy the same things in the canteen abroad as they could at home. NAAFI first saw overseas service in
Ireland in 1922. Six years later NAAFI would have a presence in Bermuda, Ceylon, Germany, Gibraltar, Iraq, China, Jamaica, Malta, and the Middle
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NAAFI now operates out of bases in
British Forces Germany, Brunei, Gibraltar, the South Atlantic Islands and onboard HM Ships through the Naval Canteen Service (NCS). In Germany, it provides the supply of all catering, retail and leisure. This includes running the officers' and NCOs' messes,
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As a not for profit organisation, with no shareholders to reward, NAAFI was asked to run the catering and recreational establishments needed by the armed forces. It had to make a profit for the good of the NAAFI customers - the men and women of the
British Armed Forces- and so in addition it
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together with the managing director of
Richard Dickenson & Co., the soundest and most experienced firm of the canteen contractors. The two organisations were invited to establish a special department and subsequently joined as the Expeditionary Canteens to serve the nation.
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and doing their own buying. Together, they managed to raise £400 and founded the
Canteen and Mess Co-operative Society. The rule was that interest was not to exceed five percent and all further profits were to be handed to the regimental canteens as a rebate.
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The locked till practice was soon adopted by other regiments, until another
Canteen Officer, Major Harry Crauford of the Grenadier Guards was also dissatisfied with the food provided for his canteen and approached Lionel Fortescue with the idea of forming a
618:, Miss Brahms replies to a statement by Captain Peacock by saying, "He used to cycle down to the NAAFI to get his five Woodbines," after he mentions that when he was in the Army, he "did occasionally climb into the saddle".
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Army in the UK. Within three months it also took over all canteens abroad where British troops were stationed during peace times. The Expeditionary Force Canteens were left in charge in the main theatres of war.
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been humorously said to mean "Never 'Ave Any Fags In", referring to frequent shortages of cigarettes. A "NAAFI sandwich" consists of two pieces of bread spread with margarine placed together; that is, it is a "
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They hoped that in time the co-operative would become a buying and distributing agency for the whole Army. In August 1914, all arrangements were upset by the outbreak of the First World War.
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455:(RASC). The servicemen would benefit directly by getting cash rebates and discounts on purchases and indirectly through surpluses given back as a whole from each year's trading.
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was entitled "The Jet-Propelled Guided NAAFI". In the episode "Operation Christmas Duff", NAAFI is described as "an organisation working for the downfall of the British Army."
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was keen to share in the benefits now being felt by the British soldier and so the Army Canteen Committee assumed the new title of the Navy and Army Canteen Board. When the
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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
388:(BEF) - the greater part of Britain's regular Army - was sent to France and hundreds of thousands of young men enlisted to fight for the King and the country.
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serving on special engagements, who bear ranks and wear uniform. NCS personnel can similarly volunteer to join the Royal Navy when it goes on active service.
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Lionel Fortescue's vision of a unified canteen system for the Forces was starting to take shape and the nucleus of NAAFI was now in place.
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provide these facilities and their entry, except on official business, is considered to be an intrusion into junior ranks' private lives.
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providing the catering service as well as a number of retail outlets, coffee forums, bars and the sale of tax-free cars.
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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
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season 3, episode 5, scene 3 has Tinker Dill proclaiming he, "Left his sense of adventure behind in the NAAFI in 1953."
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The expression to lie "like a cheap NAAFI watch" unfairly relies on the supposed shoddy workmanship of said equipment.
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undertook to sell goods to servicemen and their families over and above those that were initially provided by the
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with the welfare of the troops than with making money. The Head of the society was summoned to the
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soldiers enjoy some recreation time at a sandbagged Navy Army Air Force Institute (NAAFI) in
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the interests of the soldiers and supervise the operations of all these vested interests.
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Non-Executive Defence Board Member and Chair of the Defence Equipment and Support Board
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753:"The Goon Show Site - Script - Operation Christmas Duff (Series 7, Special Episode)"
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government on 9 December 1920 to run recreational establishments needed by the
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Non-Executive Defence Board Member and Chair of the Defence Audit Committee
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British soldiers queue for tea at NAAFI Mobile Canteen No. 750 beside the
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are not usually supposed to use the NAAFI clubs and bars, since their
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Non-Executive Defence Board Member and Chair of the People Committee
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Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Veterans and People
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In 1892, the Hon. Lionel Fortescue, Canteen President of the
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alone, the EFI had nearly 3,000 personnel and 230 canteens.
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until 1992, when they joined the RAOC (and later the RLC).
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often made reference to the NAAFI in scripts, mostly by
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Director-General Head Office and Commissioning Services
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Minister of State for Defence Procurement and Industry
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NAAFI personnel serving aboard ship are part of the
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1023:Chief of the Naval Staff and First Sea Lord
510:. Since 1993 they have been members of the
64:Learn how and when to remove these messages
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1365:1921 establishments in the United Kingdom
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693:. The building now houses a theatre club.
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223:Learn how and when to remove this message
161:Learn how and when to remove this message
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585:' character, Major Dennis Bloodnok. One
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186:This article includes a list of general
27:Company serving the British Armed Forces
765:"Have they succeeded?" "Several times."
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514:. Female personnel were members of the
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446:'s NAAFI canteen in 1927
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685:Former NAAFI bakery in
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1314:Public corporations
1165:Arm's-length bodies
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673:" with no filling.
610:Army Catering Corps
797:The Story of NAAFI
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615:Grace & Favour
557:In popular culture
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