1931 report on ‘the NAAFI girls’

Today (25th January), a publication was delivered to the Colchester Roman circus centre – we bought this online and it has now arrived. It’s a small publication but it is extremely interesting! It is titled Conditions of Service of Women Staff employed in the Navy, Army, and Air Force Institutes and subtitled Report of Committee appointed by the Minister of Labour. It was published in January 1931, and printed by His Majesty’s Stationery Office. It cost ‘2d.’ (two pence). Our building, which houses the Roman circus centre and, upstairs, the offices of the Trust, was built in 1937 as the NAAFI institute of the Artillery (Le Cateau) Barracks of the old Colchester garrison. We wanted to know more about the people who lived and worked here – mostly women – and the military personnel, the private soldiers and corporals of the barracks, who used it as their social building, and so we bought this report. Our building had two front doors, two front staircases, two restaurant rooms and two recreation rooms, but it was actually segregated three ways, ie for the corporals, the private soldiers, and for the staff. The larger restaurant room included a stage and counters where the men could buy food and drinks, beer, and necessities such as cigarettes, chocolate, razors, etc. The building was also equipped with a large kitchen, scullery, pantries, manageress’s office, and beer store, and a back staircase leading to the manageress’s flat on the first floor and a dormitory for ‘the NAAFI girls’ on the second floor.

The report was compiled by five ladies and a secretary: Mrs E D Simon, Dame Katharine Furse, Miss E Hoctor, Mrs F Jagger, Mrs M Singleton, and Miss M G Smieton. These ladies visited NAAFI institutes of different sizes, at different military centres, and when the institutes were open and closed. They even interviewed some commanding officers. They visited Catterick Camp, Bulford Camp and Tidworth Camp on Salisbury Plain, Aldershot, Chelsea and Wellington Barracks in London, and RAF Wendover (they did not visit a Naval canteen). The report details staff roles, rates of pay, terms and conditions, accommodation, uniforms, etc, and even includes some statements by soldiers and NAAFI girls. The staff of an institute was made up of a manageress, charge hands, counter hands, cooks, assistant cooks, general assistants, kitchen assistants and cleaners. The rates of pay ranged from the top limit for a manageress – 70 shillings per week – to the lower limit for a cleaner – 17/6d. per week…  Most of the NAAFI institute restaurant rooms featured a wireless (radio), gramophone player, piano, and stage for concert parties.

From the report: ‘… In the restaurant, the counter … Behind the girls who are serving [at the counter], there is a tall show stand on which are displayed samples of the menu, cakes, pies, fruit, chocolate, cigarettes… The men come up to the counter and fetch their orders and no serving at tables is undertaken by the girls. There is always a corporal on duty in the restaurant while the canteen is open, whose duty it is to see that order is maintained …  All the girls were unanimous in their statement that they were treated with every respect by the men [-] “if they (the men) thought a chap was being too cheeky they would soon stop him and tell him off.” …’

So we now have the evidence contained in our building itself, a ground-plan of the almost-identical NAAFI institute at the former Cavalry Barracks next door, and this report. The report is very interesting, as it combines hard data and first-hand reporting, and brings the NAAFI institutes of 1931 to life – and it also gives a voice to some of the people encountered in the institutes. The report is bursting with fascinating material (too much to include here, unfortunately!).

We are building a small collection of vintage NAAFI artefacts and we hope to include a small NAAFI display in the Roman circus centre. Our collection now includes a NAAFI service badge, a NAAFI token, a razor blade, some china cups stamped with the NAAFI logo, a 1945 recipe book, a menu board from Catterick Garrison, a strong box, and a large decorative mirror. We have also retrieved some NAAFI artefacts from our front garden while investigating the site of the Roman circus, ie a restaurant key fob and a very large ceramic jar.

The NAAFI organisation still exists, of course, and it is still providing services to the British Services.

The images show the front cover of the report and a NAAFI recruitment poster from 1930, featuring a NAAFI girl in the uniform of a counter hand (this is not original and it is on display in the entrance lobby of the Roman circus centre café).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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