Themes

The Navy's People

• Naval Lives

• In Focus: Women in the Navy

• In Focus: Recreation and Time off

  • Personal Time

  • Living Conditions

  • Sports

  • Crossing the Line across the century

  • Parties onboard

  • NAAFI

• In Focus: Discipline and Punishment

Learning

• How To: Understand Naval Medals

NAAFI

Article highlights

• What is the NAAFI?

• The early years

• World War Two

• Post war years

The early years

The NAAFI organisation grew very quickly from 1921 and made swift improvements to its canteens. It introduced a programme of re-decorating by re-painting, replacing furniture and making the spaces comfortable with more contemporary designs.

The number of establishments greatly increased with the size of the organisation, this included overseas. Gibraltar and Malta had large recreation rooms for use by the Navy ashore or afloat.

The book stall on HMS Malaya c.1920 (RNM)

Malta, the headquarters for the Mediterranean Fleet was highly organised. The NAAFI base supplied all Naval personnel, the Army and the RAF. NAAFI shops sold a wide variety of goods to service families from groceries to hardware and drapery.

For some of the NAAFI personnel work with the Royal Navy was not all routine selling. In 1931 the submarine M2 sank off Portland. The submarine depot ship HMS Adamant requisitioned the NAAFI boat team to assist the salvage team in the attempted salvage of the vessel.

The Navy granted them special leave after 10 months of arduous extra duties, helping the Navy with this difficult task.

NAAFI personnel had sterner tests to endure from 1939 when World War Two began, select Next