[Routine Order] SQUADRON ROUTINE ORDERS NO. 68/44. Continued.

Tuesday, 18 July 1944 Other pp. 56

Document

SQUADRON ROUTINE ORDERS NO. 68/44. Continued.
56
Para 256. (cont.)
Needless losses from theft have to be replaced. This means more raw materials consumed, more factory labour expended, more rail transport and more shipping space used. Materials, labour and all forms of transport are precious.
Spare parts, tools and other articles of equipment held in excess of the authorised scale must be returned to store. The existence of excess holdings encourages stealing and results later in scarcity.
All forms of government and public property are to be respected. The N.A.A.F.I. alone lost over £100,000 during last year from breakages and thefts, i.e. from carelessness and crime. Every time anyone removes a cup and saucer, or a knife and fork from a canteen, that canteen is less able to serve others while the R.A.F. as a whole has to bear a part of the monetary loss involved.
All ranks must play their part in stopping what has become a bad habit in the R.A.F. No-one is to "lift" anything to which he is not entitled.
(C.R.O. Serial 37, para. 8, d.d. 24.6.44).
Para. 257. CENSORSHIP RELEASE.
Personnel may now disclose in correspondence that they have visited Rome, provided -
(a) under no circumstances whatsoever is the location or approximate location of the writer's unit disclosed either expressly or by necessary implication, and
(b) no dates are mentioned. (C.R.O. 37, para. 18)
Para. 258. CENSORSHIP - CHAIN LETTERS.
The initiating and transmitting of chain letters is strictly forbidden. (C.R.O. 37, para. 19)
Para. 259. CONSUMPTION OF ICE-CREAM, ICE AND MINERAL WATERS.
Ice Cream. All ranks are warned that ice-cream made in any cafe or place of refreshment in Italy is liable to be contaminated by organisms of disease (e.g. typhoid, dysentery) and should not be consumed. The ice-cream sold from barrows in the street is particularly dangerous.
Ice-cream made under controlled conditions may be sold in the Malcolm Clubs. It may also be made and served by Officers' and Airmen's Messes, provided it is manufactured under strict supervision and tinned milk and/or chlorinated water is used as the fluid vehicles.
Ice. Ice should never be put into drinks but the drinks placed on ice for cooling purposes.
Mineral Waters. Mineral waters, fruit drinks, etc., should never be drunk unless obtained from the N.A.A.F.I. or other approved sources.
(C.R.O. Serial 38 para. 10. d.d. 1.7.44.).
[Signed] R Alexander Capt.
for LT. COL.
COMMANDING, 21 SQUADRON, S.A.A.F.

Transcriber's Notes

Transcriber's Historical & Tactical Notes:
* The Logistics of Theft (Para 256):
* The Hidden Cost: The order provides a fascinating insight into the total-war mindset of 1944. Theft of a simple item like a canteen fork is framed as a direct drain on the war effort, requiring "shipping space" and "factory labour" that could otherwise go toward munitions.
* Financial Impact: The mention of the N.A.A.F.I. (Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes) losing over £100,000 (equivalent to several million dollars today) due to "breakages and thefts" illustrates the scale of pilferage in the Mediterranean theater.
* Public Health Crisis (Para 259):
* Sanitation in Italy: The ban on Italian street ice cream highlights the poor sanitary conditions in newly liberated areas. Disease was often a greater threat than the enemy; typhoid and dysentery could incapacitate entire units.
* Safe Alternatives: The order specifies that safe ice cream must use "tinned milk and/or chlorinated water.". The Malcolm Clubs mentioned were welfare centers for RAF/SAAF personnel, named after Acting Wing Commander Hugh Malcolm, a posthumous VC recipient.
* Security and Morale (Para 257 & 258):
* Rome Privilege: Allowing personnel to mention visiting Rome was a significant morale booster following its liberation on June 4, 1944. However, the strict prohibition of mentioning "dates" or "location" served to prevent German intelligence from pinning down the movement of the Desert Air Force wings.
* Chain Letters: The ban on chain letters (Para 258) was likely a measure to prevent the overburdening of the already strained military postal system and to avoid the spread of superstition or subversive rumors among the ranks.
* Abbreviations Expanded:
* N.A.A.F.I.: Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes.
* R.A.F.: Royal Air Force.
* C.R.O.: Command Routine Order (or Camp Routine Order).
* d.d.: Dated.
* S.A.A.F.: South African Air Force.
* Capt.: Captain (Alexander).
* LT. COL.: Lieutenant Colonel (Jandrell).

58
Verification:
Target File Verification: The document is dated 20th July, 1944. in the header section. It is a page of "SQUADRON ROUTINE ORDERS" (Appendix "BB") labeled 57 in the top right corner.