Now for something completely different: NAAFI

Martin IJdo · #1 17-02-03, 21:38

I know it´s not our "main-course", but that´s why Geoff has created this section, i guess.

I have not been visiting the forum very often lately, but for a good reason. We are building a copy of a wartime NAAFI tea car, to bring to "Bussum Bridgehead" this year. We have several types of filed kitchens and such, but this was deffinitely missing!
Not just to get a decent "brew", but also to entertain our wives / girlfriends! We have allready had to make a "duty-roster"........

http://home.planet.nl/~ijdo0017/naafi/drawing/

This is the disign. It is based on the chassis of an old caravan, with a body made from wooden frames covered with ply-wood.

http://home.planet.nl/~ijdo0017/naafi/photo/

This is what it looked like a couple of weeks ago, last saturday we closed the roof. We are now at the stage of adding the finishing touches, prior to painting.

If any of you outthere have any info on the actvities of the NAAFI during the war, like photo´s and such, i am very intersted indeed! Apaerantly this subject has never received much attention. A shame, as these vehicles where to been seen on every airfield in the UK during WW2, allong with the YMCA.
So, if you have any info for us to support this project, do not hessitate!!!!!!
THanks,

Martin.

#2 18-02-03, 01:05

What a great idea. Looks like a winner and hope to see the finished product.

Steve Guthrie · #3 18-02-03, 04:21

Hello there

The Canadian War Museum has an unrestored example of the 'SP'version of the Tea Car, based on a Fordson 7V chassis.

No idea where we got it from!

Steve

Phil Waterman · #4 18-02-03, 16:22

I love it. Have you seen pictures of the one that was at Beltring? If not I'll post some shots.

It would be great to have something like that so much more civilized than the canvas covered trailors the US military had/has.

Do keep us posted on your progress.

Cheers

Phil

Hanno Spoelstra · #5 18-02-03, 17:01

Quote:

Originally posted by Martin IJdo
We are building a copy of a wartime NAAFI tea car, to bring to "Bussum Bridgehead" this year.

Martin,

What a wonderful idea! It does make a change from olive-drab-with-white-stars Jeeps.
Just when is the Bussum Bridgehead planned? Around 5th May, I presume?

Hanno

Martin IJdo · #6 18-02-03, 22:36

Thanks for the kind words guys!
Bussum bridgehead will be held from Thursday to monday, May 9, 10 and 11. I have not posted a thread in the "evenets" section yet, as i have to finish the translation of our foundations website, reachable through www.bussumbridgehead.com .
Phil, i think yu mean the Austin Tea car. I have not seen it myselve, but a friend of mine took some nice pictures.

In the mean while we got official aproval from the present-day NAAFI to use their name and wartime logo. We are really proud of this!
I will definitly post some new pics after the first "roll-out", which i think will be quit soon.
Thanks,

Martin.

Martin IJdo · #7 24-02-03, 22:15

Hello all,

Took the NAAFI wagon out in the early spring sunshine for the first time, so i made a couple of pics of what it looks like now.

http://home.wxs.nl/~ijdo0017/naafi/naafilivo

http://home.wxs.nl/~ijdo0017/naafi/naafira

A view at the interior (and my trusty old beemer...

), seen through the door at the rear.

Martin.

Mark W. Tonner · #8 24-02-03, 22:35

It's looking good Martin, great work!

BTW, Nice weather there to...........want some snow?

Cheers

Martin IJdo · #9 24-02-03, 22:49

Hi Mark,

Much oblidged, but no, thanks, no snow on this side of the ocean please! I am actually waiting for temperatures rising above 10 degrees C. again, so we can start with the paint work!
Ta,

Martin.

Bob Moseley (RIP) · #10 26-02-03, 00:46

Hi Martin - I acquired this ashtray recently. You may have it for your refreshment wagon for the princely sum of the postage. Send me your mail details if interested.

Bob

Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP) · #11 26-02-03, 01:14

Will you be serving tea out of your NAAFI wagon, Martin? There's a certain honour and tradition in this, y'know...

If so, MLU will pay the postage for Bob's NAAFI ashtray, which shall be yours henceforth.

Any chance of you're towing the thing to the Solent Show as well?

Well done regardless, sir. And thank you!

Martin IJdo · #12 26-02-03, 20:17

Bob, thanks for the offer, and yes, i would very much like to have it for our wagon!!! Ofcourse, only if you are really sure about letting go of it. It will look great next to our assortment of repro cigarette pacs, for instance "Craven",

http://home.wxs.nl/~ijdo0017/craven/home.html

I will send you an E-mail directly.

Yes Geoff, we will be serving both tea and coffe from our little mobile shack. I kindly recieved a book from the present-day NAAFI organisation on their 75th. anniversary. Only now i really understand what a "brew" means. Apearantly there used to be a large boiler, called "the urn", in which the whole lot was actually brewed at once. Thus: tea, milk and sugar in the same kettle, all day long!

I am sure we will not re-create this particalar proces, as in Holland people are not that fond of "white tea"......

We do have sweetened condensed canned milk, so we can get very close to the orriginal brew, for our Britsh guests.

We do hope to take the trailer to other events if possible, England for instance. the problem is that the ferry is quite expensive allready, let alone if you bring a caravan as well! But i am sure we will be there sometime.
Thanks,

Martin.

Bob Moseley (RIP) · #13 27-02-03, 00:44

Hi Martin - its my pleasure, its on its way. I only hope you don't have a problem with the anti-smoking police around your display. Although not having smoked myself for many years, it was part of the then culture and smoking makes your display more authentic.

Re. "brew", one of the mainstay catering facilities in the Oz forces and to wherever they were exported was the Wiles Mobile Cooker. They had a tea urn set up and when the tea was running low more tea leaves and water were added thereby making the "brew" a "stew". It might sound revolting but I can remember on exercises receiving this hot, strong and sweet tea and it was like a blood transfusion. If you are interested in the Wiles Cooker have a look at www.nashos.org.au.wiles if that site is still there. Other than that any search engine should get you to the info.

Bob

Martin IJdo · #14 07-03-03, 21:21

Hello Bob,

The ashtray has covered the distance from Australlia to The Netherlands without any problems, THANK YOU !

Every time this happens i think about what a small world we live in nowadays.
As soon as the ashtray has been "on active duty", i´ll show some pics.
If i can ever help you with anything, drop me a line.
Thanks,

Martin.

Bob Potter · #15 11-03-03, 17:48

As if I need one more modeling project, how possible would it be to get a set of plans for this thing? I have a diorama with a hole in it just big enough for it.

Thanks

Bob

Martin IJdo · #16 14-03-03, 20:34

Hello Bob,

I am amazed to see that there is someone who actually wants to make a model of the NAAFI wagon, even before it is finished! Ofcourse you can have plans, as a matter of fact, it would be an honour!
Even though the plans only take care of the basic structure, it will definitly give you enough to work with.
I made 1:10 scale drawings before we started the project, the old-fashioned way, ink on chalk-paper. Though i am quite used to CAD systems, it was a lot of fun. I really cherrish my ink pens, and take them out every once in a while.
I will make scans of the drawing, and you can get the remaining info from pictures.
Drop me a line on E-mail (see my profile) and we can discuss the details.
Thanks,

Martin.

Bob Potter · #17 15-03-03, 01:43

Martin,

Thank you most kindly for sharing your plans; I only hope I can do justice to your creation in miniature. The moderator has disabled the members list so I could not get at your email address. I am willing to pay the cost of duplication and postage so that you are in no way out of pocket for this additional expense. If this is amenable to you, I would also like to purchase one or two of your repro Craven NAAFI cigarette packets. I don't smoke (although my father smoked Camels) but your repro packets would make a nice addition to the assortment of artifacts and reproductions I share with my history students. The way things are in American schools nowadays, I will probably get into more trouble for taking your cigarette packets to class that I do for taking my SMLE.

You can email me here if you wish: potter51@delanet.com

Best wishes, and I hope you have a bumper crop of tulips about your stoop.

Bob

:

Bob Moseley (RIP) · #18 21-04-03, 12:06

Hi Martin

Spoke to the guy the other day who donated the ashtray and he was amazed at how well travelled this item has been. It's like nicking a garden gnome and taking it on holidays and then sending the original owner postcards from the gnome from all over the world. Anyway he gave me all his service details at the time he "acquired" the ashtray with the thought that a small story board or acknowledgement might be in order. 23573070 Cpl M.E (Mick) Miller - 63 Gurkha Infantry Brigade - O.FP Malaya.

As this post will ressurect the topic, how is the van progressing?

Bob

Martin IJdo · #19 21-04-03, 17:34

Hi Bob!

You where just one step ahead of me! The wagon is actually comming along very nice indeed. I took this picture last week, with half of the roof covered, and painted inside and out.

Two days ago i finished covering the roof, with canvas material, and finally coated it with a tar-like substance that is normally meant to go below the waterline of ships. If it stops permanent (sea)water, it should be pretty well capable of stopping a drop of rain getting through!

Please give me (or us, the forum, for that matter) the datails of Cpl. Miller´s story. This would be a great annecdote to tell when we´re enjoying a nice cup of tea, or rather a cup of coffee, with a wee drop of scotch........
Cheers,

Martin
(P.s.; Still working on the international transfer............)

Hanno Spoelstra · #20 01-09-03, 02:01

Martin's NAAFI van in action during "Bussum Bridgehead", in May of this year:

Source: http://home.planet.nl/~whitestar/

Martin IJdo · #21 01-09-03, 23:19

Tanks Hanno, for taking the trouble of placing it here.
The event was a success again, but i realy took the best of us to get it all done. The result was that we needed some " time off" from the scene, and that´s why i didn´t get round to place some nice pictures myselve.
Any one for a cuppa?

Martin.

Norm Cromie (RIP) · #22 22-09-03, 03:58

Hi Martin:

Here is a little secret that was never disclosed during the war. In the winter of 1940, I was billited in the Corona Barracks in Aldershot and used to visit the NAFFI canteen just to look at those georgous NAFFI girls. One of them told me a secret that she requested I should never reveil, the hardcakes they served were used in Holland for cutting diamonds before the war. There...The truth will always come out.
An ex 48er