[Routine Order] SQUADRON ROUTINE ORDER NO. 56/44. Continued. — Orders & Appendices

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SQUADRON ROUTINE ORDER NO. 56/44. Continued.
PAGE TWO.
335
Para. 223. PAYBOOKS : AIRCREW PERSONNEL.
Cases are still occuring of Aircrew Personnel going
on operational flights carrying personal papers with them.
This particularly applies to paybooks, the loss of which, when
the owners become casualties, causes endless administrative
trouble, quite apart from the security aspect of the matter
Paybooks will NOT be carried on operational flights.
(SAAF (MEF) GRO 70/44).
Para. 224. DRESS - AMENDMENT MEDALS AND MEDAL RIBBONS.
Decorations and medals will not be worn on any
occasion; medal ribbons and M.I.D's. emblems, however, will
be worn on service dress, battle dress, bush shirts and
khaki jackets, but not on shirts.
(UDF (MEF) GRO 116/44).
Para. 224. REFIT ALLOWANCES.
It is notified for the information of all concerned
that the Government has revised the scheme for the grant of
civilian clothing and cash allowances granted to volunteers
upon discharge and that in future the following procedure
will be adopted :-
(a) The amount of £7 presently granted to European Male and
Female volunteers for the purchase of civilian clothing
will be increased to £10 and this amount, together with
the cash allowance of £5, will be paid out IN CASH to
each volunteer upon discharge from the Army.
(b) The amount of £4 granted to Coloured volunteers for the
purchase of civilian clothing will be increased to £6
and this amount will be paid out by means of warrant
vouchers posted to their homes and cashable at local
Post Offices. The cash allowance of £3 will continue to be
paid to Coloured volunteers on their leaving the Disper-
sal Depots.
(c) Members of the Essential Services Protection Corps will
also be granted a Refit Allowance of £15 in substitution
of the existing clothing grant of £7 and the cash allow-
ance of £5.
(d) Members of the Physical Training Battalion and the Youth
Training Brigade will be granted a CASH Refit Allowance
of £10 in substitution of the existing clothing allowance.
of £7.
(e) No volunteer (including members of the W.A.D.C., S.A.M.N.
C.C. and N.M.C.) or member of the Essential Services
Protection Corps, Youth Training Brigade or Physical
Training Battalion who has had LESS THAN THREE MONTHS'
SERVICE will be eligible to receive a Refit Allowance.
(f) Each volunteer (European, Coloured or Native) as well as
each member of the other Units mentioned, will receive
the benefits in question IRRESPECTIVE OF THE NATURE OF
HIS OR HER DISCHARGE except in cases where a discharge
is PURCHASED by a volunteer.
(g) The revised allowances and method of granting such
allowances will be introduced from 1 Apr. '44, AND WILL
NOT HAVE RETROSPECTIVE EFFECT.
(UDF (MEF) GRO 133/44).
(Signature illegible) LT. COL.
COMMANDING, 21 SQUADRON, S.A.A.F.

Transcriber's Notes

Transcriber's Historical & Tactical Notes:
* Operational Security (Paybooks):
* The Risk: Paragraph 223 highlights a persistent problem: aircrews carrying personal documents (specifically paybooks) on combat missions. If an aircraft was shot down and the crew captured or killed, carrying a paybook was a security risk (identifying unit and rank to enemy intelligence). Administratively, losing a paybook created a nightmare for the paymaster trying to reconcile accounts for "missing" personnel. The order is emphatic: "Paybooks will NOT be carried on operational flights."
* Racial Disparities in Compensation (Refit Allowances):
* The "Refit Allowance": Paragraph 224 (duplicated number) provides a stark documentation of the racial hierarchy within the South African military (Union Defence Force) during WWII. The "Refit Allowance" was money provided to buy civilian clothes upon discharge.
* The Gap: The allowance varied significantly by race:
* "European Male and Female volunteers": Clothing allowance increased from £7 to £10 + £5 cash allowance = £15 total (paid in cash).
* "Coloured volunteers": Clothing allowance increased from £4 to £6 + £3 cash allowance = £9 total. Furthermore, the clothing portion was paid via "warrant vouchers posted to their homes," restricting their spending freedom compared to the cash given to white soldiers.
* "Native" Volunteers: Paragraph (f) mentions "Native" (Black African) volunteers but implies they fall under different specific unit structures (like the N.M.C. - Native Military Corps). The disparity in benefits was a systemic feature of the UDF, reflecting the segregation policies of the time.
* Uniform Regulations:
* Medals vs. Ribbons: The order clarifies that actual medals are not to be worn in the field ("on any occasion"). Instead, "ribbons and M.I.D's. [Mention in Despatches] emblems" are to be worn on formal service dress and battle dress, but "not on shirts" (likely referring to the summer khaki drill shirts worn without jackets).
* Abbreviations:
* SAAF (MEF): South African Air Force (Middle East Forces).
* GRO: General Routine Order.
* M.I.D's: Mention in Despatches (an oak leaf emblem worn on the ribbon).
* UDF: Union Defence Force.
* W.A.D.C.: Women's Auxiliary Defence Corps.
* S.A.M.N.C.C.: South African Military Nursing Corps (likely).
* N.M.C.: Native Military Corps.

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Verification:
Target File Verification: The document is dated 19th June, 1944 in the "DATE" field. It is a Sortie Report (No. 726) labeled 336 in the top right corner.