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Admiralty references: C.E.60036/48, C.E.60001149, C.E.60052/50 SECTION I. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS 4901. Victualling entitlement. The following are entitled to Service victualling, including the use of Service mess gear, in accordance with the broad principles laid down in this chapter:
4902. Victualling Manual. Detailed instructions for the working of the various systems of messing, the supply of mess gear and arrangements for clothing, and about victualling stores, including allowances, stocks, demands, supply, custody, expenditure, surveys, stocktakings and accounting generally are contained in B.R. 93 Victualling Manual. 2. The instructions in the Victualling Manual are to be complied with by all concerned and it is important that copies should be kept corrected up to date. 4903. Mess gear. Supplies of mess gear, comprising officers' mess traps, ratings' mess utensils, implements and galley gear, are made to all Service messes free of charge. The mess gear remains government property and is to be returned to the Victualling Yards when worn out or when no longer required. 2. Items of mess gear are divided into two categories, permanent and consumable. Permanent items are replaced free of charge when worn out by fair wear and tear. Consumable articles are replaced free of charge up to an annual monetary allowance which is promulgated periodically in Admiralty Fleet Orders. 3. Supplies of mess gear are also made free of charge to officers occupying official residences arid to officers and ratings in married quarters. The scales of supply and instructions in regard to replacements and accounting are laid down in B.R. 890A and 8908 Regulations for the supply of mess traps to officers and ratings in official residences and married quarters. 4904. Libraries. The following libraries are supplied to H.M. ships and establishments from the Victualling Yards, but are under the control of the Instructor Officer. See 4318 and B.R. 1797 Further Education and Vocational Training.
4921 VICTUALLING SECTION II. VICTUALLING 4921. Systems of victualling. Service victualling is normally to be provided for entitled persons living in ships or shore establishments in one of the following ways:
2. Ration Allowance in lieu of victualling is to be credited on the ledger, in accordance with the instructions contained in the Naval Pay Regulations, to officers and ratings on long leave or who in certain circumstances are required, or are allowed, to make their own arrangements for victualling on shore. 3. Particulars of allowances payable to officers and ratings messed in ships and establishments not belonging to the Royal Navy are given in the Naval Pay Regulations. 4922. Responsibility for organisation of general messing. In ships and fleet establishments equipped for general messing the Supply Officer is to supervise closely the working of the general mess. He is responsible for the maintenance and issue of stocks of provisions, for messing and for accounting for all transactions in connection with the messing of the ship's company; for the preparation of menus and for the preparation and cooking of food. 2. In all ships and establishments on general messing a standing General Mess Party is to be detailed to assist in the handling of victualling stores and preparing food (e.g. vegetables) for cooking. 3. The Supply Officer is to give immediate attention to any irregularities, waste, complaints, etc., see 1446 (2), 1501 and 1850. 4. In ships equipped for general messing in which a Supply Officer is not borne the Captain is responsible for the whole victualling organisation on board. The Supply Officer of the parent ship or base responsible for examining the ship's victualling accounts is to maintain close touch with the general working of the messing arrangements and to give guidance as required, particularly in regard to the planning of the dietary, control of cost, regulation of stocks of provisions and accounts. 5. In ships on broadside general messing the Supply Officer is responsible for the organisation up to and including the point at which meals in mess dishes are issued from the servery to the representatives of the messes. The Supply Officer is responsible for serveries, the Executive Officer for dining spaces and mess pantries. 6. In ships on centralised general messing the Supply Officer is responsible for the organisation up to and including the point at which the food helpings are issued, whether to individual ratings or to mess servers; he is responsible for serveries, bread pantries, central mess pantries and serving points for tea, where provided, and these compartments and any serving equipment which may be outside them are normally to be manned by Cook (S) ratings. The Executive Officer is responsible for the dining spaces, enclosed mess pantries and sculleries, and these compartments are to be manned entirely by ratings of branches other than Cook (S), detailed as a standing party. 7. In shore establishments the division of responsibility remains the same, except that where sculleries are an integral part of galleys and associated compartments they should be regarded as the Supply Officer's responsibility. II. VICTUALLING 4923 4923. Spirit ration. A daily ration of one eighth of a pint of spirit, or an allowance in lieu (grog money, see Naval Pay Regulations) is allowed to men victualled on the general mess system, or in receipt of Victualling Allowance, or Special Victualling Allowance, except as follows:-
2. Officers, chief petty officers and petty officers, and non-commissioned officers of the Royal Marines of the rank of sergeant and above, when entitled to an issue of spirit, may receive raw spirit, but the spirit ration of all other men is to be mixed with two parts of water to one part of spirit, except under action messing conditions as laid down in B.R. 1294 Damage Control Manual. Each day's spirit ration is to be consumed before evening rounds on the day of issue; the saving up of spirit is forbidden. See also 1839(3) on trafficking in intoxicating drink. 3. The occasions on which men aged 20 and over may exercise the option of receiving the spirit ration in kind or grog money in lieu are stated in the Naval Pay Regulations. Detailed instructions regarding the issue of the spirit ration are contained in the Victualling Manual. 4. STOPPAGES. The spirit ration may be stopped as a specific punishment (see 1931 and 1978). It is also to be stopped as part of other punishments, e.g. No. 10 Punishment (see 1967) and when men are on (or awaiting) passage home from abroad after dismissal from the service or discharge in consequence of civil conviction involving imprisonment; also when men have been sentenced to imprisonment or detention or are under close arrest awaiting trial or awaiting approval of a punishment warrant or awaiting issue of a committal order after conviction by court-martial. The spirit ration may also be stopped when a man is on the sick list, see 4208. All authorised stoppages of spirit as punishments lapse to the Crown. 5. SHORT LEAVE SPIRIT ALLOWANCE. When any person who is entitled to the issue of the spirit ration and has elected to receive it is absent from the ship but is not checked for victuals, the ration is not to be issued, but grog money is to be paid to his mess, see Naval Pay Regulations. 6. SPECIAL ISSUE OF SPIRIT TO OFFICERS. When officers are detached on particular service and the mess stores are not available, the spirit ration may be issued in special circumstances, subject to the procedure laid down for other extra issues of spirit in the Victualling Manual. 7. EXTRA AND SPECIAL ISSUES OF SPIRIT. Extra issues of spirit are not to be made, save in very exceptional circumstances such as occasions of particularly arduous service or exposure, and with the approval of the Senior Officer present. An officer authorising an extra issue of spirit is to make a full report of the circumstances to his Administrative Authority for covering approval; these reports, with the covering approval to the issues, are to be forwarded with the provision account. 8. The order " Splice the Main Brace " is to be regarded as authorising the special issue of a ration of one-eighth pint of spirit to each officer or man of or over 20 years of age who desires it. Officers and men under 20 years of age may receive a special issue of lemonade on the scale laid down in the Victualling Manual, and a similar issue may be made to other officers and men who do not desire the spirit ration. No money payment in lieu is allowable. The order " Splice the Main Brace " may be given only by:
9. The expression "Splice the Main Brace" is not to be used in connection with the extra issues of spirit referred to in Clause 7. 4924 VICTUALLING 4924. Extra issues of provisions. Extra issues of provisions may be authorised by the Captain or Senior Officer for certain categories of persons, and for certain types of employment. Details of the extra issues and allowances are given in the Victualling Manual. 4925. Records of persons victualled. Persons who are Service victualled are-to be borne on the books of a ship or establishment for victualling. The books concerned are the ledger kept in the Pay Office and the mess books kept in the Victualling Office. The keeping of the ledger is the responsibility of the Supply Officer of the ship or establishment in which it is kept (see Naval Pay Regulations). The keeping of the mess books or mess lists in ships and establishments is the responsibility of the Supply Officer, where borne, otherwise the Captain (see Victualling Manual). 2. It is the responsibility of the Executive Officer of the ship or establishment to furnish to the Supply Officer, for both the Pay Office and Victualling Office, information regarding:
which affect their entitlement to Service victualling, their ability to receive it in their proper messes, and their eligibility for compensatory allowances in lieu. This is to be done by means of Victualling and Check Books (Forms 5.257 and S.257b) which are normally kept in the Captain's Office for officers and in the regulating or Royal Marines offices for ratings and other ranks, see 4926. 3. Changes in the status of naval ratings and R.M. other ranks affecting their entitlement to the spirit ration (or grog money in lien), such as attaining the age of 20 or exercising the option of receiving the spirit ration or grog money in lieu (see 4923 (3) ) and transfers between messes within a ship or establishment, are also to be reported to the Pay Office and Victualling Office by the victualling and checking procedure. 4. For purposes of the spirit ration, naval ratings and Royal Marine other ranks borne for victualling are to be classified in mess books, on pay ledgers, pay documents and victualling and check books, as shown below:-
5. Similar notations are to be made in mess books, on pay ledgers and victualling and check books in respect of persons not belonging to the navy who are entitled to receive the spirit ration, see 4923 (1) (d). No notation is to be made in respect of a person not belonging to the navy who, although entitled to receive the spirit ration, elects not to receive it and who is not entitled to receive grog money in lieu. 6. Persons entitled to Service victualling who join H.M. ships and naval establishments before noon are to be borne for victualling for that day; if they join after noon they are to be borne for N-icfvualling from the following day. 7. Persons entitled to Service victualling are to be checked for victualling in the following circumstances:-
Such persons are to be checked on the day on which they leave the ship or establishment if they lease before noon, and on the day following if they leave after noon. 11. VICTUALLING 4928 4926. Victualling and check books. The correct preparation and prompt disposal of victualling and check sheets is of the utmost importance. The occasions on which these sheets have to be raised are given in Article 4925. See also 3231. 2. Victualling sheets are printed in black, and check sheets in red; the sheets are supplied in books and are numbered serially. When detached from the books the sheets are to be enclosed in binders in the offices to which they are sent. If a sheet is cancelled, destroyed or not used, the fact is to be noted on the next sheet used. 3. On each sheet is to be recorded in the appropriate columns the name, rank or rating, and mess of the person concerned, his classification (if a rating or R.M. other rank) as regards the spirit ration (see 4925 (4) ) and the day and time (A.M. or P.m.) of the change, with brief details on victualling sheets of whence the person has come and on check sheets of the reason for checking. 4. Further particulars relating to entries and discharges from the ship or establishment should be entered in the " Remarks " column of the forms. For example:
5. Victualling sheets and check sheets are to be raised whenever the reason for checking changes. For example, when a rating on long leave fails to return he should be shown on a victualling sheet as victualled back from leave on the correct date and then checked on a check sheet to absence or sick on shore, etc., on the same day. 6. Entries on victualling and check sheets must be clear and legible. Any correction necessary is to be made by means of a new entry on the appropriate sheet for the person concerned, with the corrected particular underlined. 7. In ships and establishments with Supply Officers, the victualling and check sheets (Forms S.257 and S.257b) are to be prepared in triplicate by the Captain's Secretary (or other officer detailed) for officers, and for others by the Master-at-Arms or Regulating Petty Officer, the senior N.C.O. Royal Marines or the W.R.N.S. regulating staff as appropriate; they are responsible for detaching the proper sheets from the books and for delivering them daily to the Pay Office and the Victualling Office in sufficient time to enable the persons whose names are recorded therein to be victualled or checked for the day. The triplicate copy is to be retained in the Regulating Office (Captain's Office for officers). 8. In ships and establishments without Supply Officers the victualling and check sheets (Forms S.257a and S.257c) are to be prepared in duplicate by the rating carrying out regulating duties. He is responsible for delivering the original sheets to the Victualling Office in sufficient time to enable the persons whose names are recorded therein to be victualled or checked for the day. After notation in the Victualling Office the original sheets are to be passed to the ship's office for despatch to the parent ship or base in which the ship's pay accounts are kept. The sheets are to be forwarded to the parent ship as early as practicable to facilitate ledger work there. The duplicate copies of the sheets are to be retained in the Regulating Office on board. Separate sheets are to be used for officers and ratings. 4927. Record of ratings' short leave. The regulating staff are to maintain records of short leave not exceeding 48 hours and week-end leave granted to ratings. 2. In ships and establishments on general messing, particulars of the numbers granted short leave daily should be communicated to the Victualling Office in sufficient time to enable the preparation of meals to be adjusted to the numbers whys will be on board for the meals. 4928. Spirit Stoppage Book. The names of persons whose spirit ration is to be stopped for the day on account of absence on duty, short leave, punishment or sickness (see 4923 (4) ) are to be recorded daily in the Spirit Stoppage Book (Form S.76b) which is to be kept by the Regulating staff for naval 4951 VICTUALLING ratings, by the senior N.C.O. for Royal Marines and by the Sick Berth Chief Petty Officer or Petty Officer for men on the sick list. 2. The books are to be sent to the Victualling Office daily in sufficient time to enable the men to be checked. 3. At the end of the year the books are to be sent to the Director of Victualling with the Provision Account for the Christmas Quarter or the month of December, as appropriate. SECTION III. CLOTHING, SOAP AND TOBACCO 4951. Officers' uniform. The cost of initial uniform outfits for officers of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines and Women's Royal Naval Service, on first commissioning, or on promotion from ratings and other ranks to commissioned rank, is borne by Navy Votes in the form of cash grants for articles not obtainable from Service sources and of free issues of Service articles. 2. Replacements of articles of uniform available from Service sources are obtainable on repayment (see 4960). Expenditure on maintenance of uniform is borne by officers, who are allowed a rebate of income tax towards this expenditure. 3. On promotion officers are entitled to a cash grant towards the cost of changing uniform to that of their new rank. 4. Details of the cash grants payable under Clauses 1 and 3 are promulgated in the Naval Pay Regulations. Lists of the items to be purchased out of the cash grants and those items issued free from Service stocks are set out in the Uniform Regulations (Appendix to the Navy List). The procedure for making the free issues is described in the Victualling Manual for R.N. and R.M. officers and in B.R. 1077 for W.R.N.S. officers. 5. Naval Cadets are supplied with an initial outfit of uniform subject to the financial regulations described in the Regulations for the Entry of Naval Cadets (Appendix to the Navy List). 4952. Naval ratings' uniform. Men and boys on first entry into the Royal Navy are given the compulsory kit of their rating and certain additional articles as set out in the Uniform Regulations (Appendix to the Navy List). The scales of the compulsory and optional kits for men in the different classes of uniform are shown in the Uniform Regulations. 2. Men who on re-entry are not allowed to count their previous service for any purpose 0848(2) are treated as " first entries " in respect of clothing and bedding. Men transferring from the Royal Marines are also treated as " first entries " in respect of the free issue of clothing and bedding. Other men who transfer or re-enter are not entitled to any free issue of clothing or bedding unless they transfer to or re-enter in a rating the uniform of which is of a different class from the uniform of the rating they last held. In this event they are allowed a free issue of any articles included in the compulsory kit of their new rating which are not in the compulsory kit of the rating they last held. 3. Ratings who are transferred from one branch to another are given a free issue of the items of kit necessary to complete their compulsory kit to that of their new rating. 4. Pensioners who are entered on non-continuous service engagements for particular duties are not entitled to free kits. 5. Petty officers dressed as seamen on completing one year's service in the acting rating and on being confirmed are normally required to change their uniform to that prescribed for confirmed petty officers (Class III with gilt buttons and cap badge, pattern N.6). Outfit gratuity, to cover the cost of providing articles of kit required as a confirmed petty officer which are not included in the kits of men in Class II uniforms, is payable to ratings who are required to change their uniform. The amount of the gratuity and the conditions of payment are given in the Naval Pay Regulations. 6. Details of the reduced kits for the various classes of ratings entered locally on stations abroad are given in the Uniform Regulations. Ratings re-engaging after an absence of less than five consecutive years are not entitled to a second free issue of kit or gratuity in lieu. III. CLOTHING, SOAP AND TOBACCO 4956 4953. Maintenance of ratings' uniform-lest Upkeep Allowance. Naval ratings, including boys in the training establishments and pensioners re-entered on non-continuous service engagements, are entitled to be credited with an allowance as part of their emoluments to enable them to replace without expense to themselves the compulsory kits issued on first entry. The allowance is called Kit Upkeep Allowance (short title K.U.A.). 2. Detailed instructions regarding the procedure for crediting Kit Upkeep Allowance and the amounts for the different classes of ratings are given in the Naval Pay Regulations. Special rates of Kit Upkeep Allowance are authorised for ratings entered locally on stations abroad who receive reduced scales of kit on entry. Should it be essential, however, for locally entered ratings to maintain the full kit of their rating, they are entitled to receive the standard rate of Kit Upkeep Allowance applicable to the class of uniform. 4954. Royal Marines. Men and boys on first entry in the Royal Marines are given an initial free kit as set out in the Uniform Regulation (Appendix to the Navy List). They are also entitled to Kit Upkeep Allowance for maintenance of their kit under the same general conditions as for naval ratings. The rates of Kit Upkeep Allowance and conditions of payment are given in the Naval Pay Regulations. 4955. Uniform of Women's Royal Naval Service. Ratings of the Women's Royal Naval Service on first entry into the Service are given the kit of their rating on satisfactory completion of their probationary period, and are entitled to Kit Upkeep Allowance for maintenance of their kit from late of entry as for naval ratings. 2. Detailed instructions regarding the scales of kit for W.R.N.S. ratings are contained in the Uniform regulations (Appendix to the Navy List). The rates of Kit Upkeep Allowance are given in the Naval Pay Regulations. 4956. Civilian clothing benefits on discharge. In general, naval and W.R.N.S. ratings and R.M. other ranks on regular engagements are eligible for civilian clothing benefits if, on the date of discharge or transfer to the reserve, they have completed not less than three years service on their current engagement or a total of three years service partly on their current engagement and partly on a previous engagement which did not itself qualify for civilian clothing benefits. Regular engagements for this purpose comprise special service, continuous service (including fifth five), extended service and non-continuous service engagements in the United Kingdom for naval ratings and R.M. other ranks, and permanent service, four year, or extended service engagements for W.R.N.S. ratings. 2. This general rule is subject to the following exemptions and reservations:
3. The scale of benefits is given in the Victualling Manual and particulars of cash grants are shown in the Naval Pay Regulations. 4. Detailed arrangements for issue of civilian outfits and for withdrawal of Service kit are set out in the Victualling Manual for naval ratings and R.M. other ranks and in B.R. 1077 for W.R.N.S. ratings. 5. The issue of civilian clothing benefits is not to be withheld for any reasons connected with the withdrawal of uniform. 4957 VICTUALLING 4957. Withdrawal of uniform kit on discharge, etc. Naval and W.R.N.S. ratings and R.M. other ranks who qualify for civilian clothing benefits on discharge are required to surrender certain articles of their Service lots. 2. Naval and W.R.N.S. ratings and R.M. other ranks discharged who do not qualify for civilian clothing benefits may also be required to surrender articles of kit depending on the cause of discharge and length o� service. 3. Ratings granted commissions (including those promoted to the Branch List) are required to surrender articles of their regulation kits as ratings which as officers they cannot use. 4. Details of the articles which are required to be withdrawn from naval ratings and R.M. other ranks under the varying circumstances are given in the Victualling Manual and details of the articles to be withdrawn from W.R.N.S. ratings are given in B.R. 1077. 4958. Loan clothing. Officers and ratings may be supplied with certain additional articles of clothing for use on occasions of duty, when exceptional wear and tear on uniform is involved or when special protection is required, e.g. for ships' defence organisations, for those exposed to extremely hat or cold weather and for individual duties of particularly dirty or hazardous nature. 2 This clothing is issued on loan to officers and ratings as and when required; it remains Government property and is withdrawn when no longer required for the purpose for which it was originally supplied. The general instructions governing the supply of loan clothing, including the maximum authorised scales of loan clothing for various classes of H.M. ships, and the purposes for which the articles concerned are used, are set out in appendices to the Victualling Manual. 4959. Free issue of clothing. The free issue of certain articles of clothing may be made to ratings who are regularly employed on duties which require special clothing when the issue of clothing on loan is not appropriate. 2. The principal items in this category are :
3. Particulars of the occasions on which free issues may be made, the scales of initial issues, the arrangements for replacements, and accounting procedure are given in the Victualling Manual. 4960. Clothing issues on repayment. Officers and men of the Royal Navy, officers and other ranks of the Royal Marines, officers and ratings of the Women's Royal Naval Service, officers and other ranks of the Royal Marines in Royal Marine Units, members of the Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service and Voluntary Aid Detachments when serving in naval establishments and hospital ships, may take up on repayment clothing for their personal use from Service stocks held on board H.M. ships and in shore establishments. See also 1526 (2) on N.A.A.F.l. staff. 2. A list of the items authorised to be issued an repayment to ships' companies and of the price to be charged is promulgated periodically in Admiralty Fleet Orders. 3. Detailed instructions for the issue of clothing on repayment, including the accounting procedure, are contained in the Victualling Manual. 4961. Soap and tobacco-issue on repayment. The arrangements in Article 4960 apply to issues of soap on repayment. 2. Officers and men who are over the age of 16 (subject to any local smoking regulations, see 2957) and subject to the Naval Discipline Act, may take up tobacco from Service stocks on repayment when serving in:
3. The occasions on which tobacco may be taken up, the maximum quantities allowed at home and abroad, and the procedure for issue are laid down in B.R. 1990, Customs and Immigration Regulations for the Royal Navy, and in the Victualling Manual. ^ back to top ^ |