Mess Bills

[SirToppamHat]

Mainly Aimed at RAF JOs this, but I am sure the other Services and SNCOs will join in if they feel like it.

All RAF officers get Mess Bills. Most even pay them! But I am interested in seeing how they vary across the Service.

Discounting the bits that vary each month (PAYD, Bar Bill, Dining-in Nights, Summer Ball etc), what is the BASIC Mess Bill for a flt lt at your Unit?

At High Wycombe it was less than £10, it was about £25 at Boulmer and £27 at Neatishead (Colt + Neat).

These are charges before you walk in through the door, and vary slightly at most units according to the number of days in the month. If we don't include charges to sqn funds, this will help us better compare.

Amended after I got off my backside and dug out a couple of old mess bills.

[hyd3failure]

Do the RAF pay mess subs? My mess bill is £12 before I even start. Thats just for the honour of being a mess member.

[Pontius Navigator]

Hyd3 mine is £3 more. Not only that but for years we paid a 50p per head levy because the mess had run up an accounting debt in years previous and only picked up on audit.

This was cancelled last year. Robbery but some swift talking pen pusher got the mess to agree to keep some 4 ringer happy.

[BigginAgain]

Sep 04 (Living-in Bean Stealer):

Mess Subs: 7.50
Ents: 8.50
Sports: 0.60
Mess Improvements: 1.00
Staff Gratuities: 1.00
Mess Guests: 0.50
Messing: 2.88

I think it will vary from place to place whether the Subs include other items that were broken out on this bill.

At the end of the day, mess members agree these charges each year at the AGM, or as amended at an EGM. However, in my experience, these are most often rubber stamps for what has been pre-agreed between the Stn Cdr and PMC.

It would be interesting to see how these figure compare with certain Army Messes!

[Pilgrim101]

Try a Guards Regiment mess - The magazine racks alone would pay for a Challenger II :}

[BigGrecian]

Mess Subscriptions - £2.40
Combined Standing Charge - £7.50
Coll Admin/Prop Fund - £0.65
Stn Char/Sports/Co's fund - £0.70
Gardens - £0.20
Dining In Levy £0.50 (Still never been to a dining in night at said mess)
Silver Fund - £0.10
Laundry Charges - £1.50
Total = £13.55

Linton was £18.26

[Could be the last?]

A slight aside..

I attended a mtg at an Army unit last week and stayed in their mess. I was greeted by the Colonel and a number of JOs and hosted throughout the evening. The mess staff were all military, polite and curtious. The bar remained open until the senior member allowed it to close! A very civilised 2 days and the charge - £0.00.

The charges when staying at various messes seem to differ without any obvious benefit. I dont expect to stay anywhere for free, even when on duty; so a std charge must be the way ahead. Surely?

:ok:

[buoy15]

On many occasion (being in the desert) my mess bill was £16.50 when I wasn't even there

Included things to support, like;

Mess Silver - had loads
Garage - didn't have one
Washing machines - never used them
PSI - never used the Gym
Welfare - never got cared for

Heard a story - never verified

If, and when, you join the Household Cavalry, your 1st mess bill is for the Household Cavalry for that month.

After that, you never get another mess bill for the rest of your tour

Also heard of a "naughty boy punishment", which I believe, still goes on

If you misdemean, whilst serving at Horse Guards, or St James', you are not offered extra Orderly Officer, you are 'awarded' - "escort duties"

Previous rascals, "escorted" the late Queen Mum, or whoever happened to be the personage at the time, to whatever event, and at the end of the evening , they picked up the tab plus all the tips to the lackies etc.

Count your blessings, Trust a few, Always paddle your own canoe!

[JessTheDog]

My gripe is with the plummeting standards of service at weekends!

At High Wycombe the Mess had an excellent spread on weekdays but at weekends the standards were dismal! Contractors were cutting costs based on the warning-out book. I gave up warning out because you don't get any money back and it doesn't give the contractors the excuse to cut corners.

Boulmer, by comparison, was always excellent by comparison, especially the brunches at a civilised hour on a Saturday morning after a Friday happy hour. Well done Mr G and staff!

[BigGrecian]

Well it has to be said in this thread - PAYD is destroying Mess life! Lower standards, higher prices = unhappy members!

[brakedwell]

Hey crossbow how much do you pay at Warton, or do you live in a hall of residence?

[ExGrunt]

Army mess bill from early 1990's:

Regimental subscriptions: £34.10 - contribution Regtl funds
Extra messing: £16.90 - food cost over rations (per day charge)
Mess Guests: £2.75 - paying for Could be the Last? !!
Maintenance: £2.00 - High spirits charge
Silver: £2.00 - maintenance of the mess silver
Staff Gratuities: £1.00- a pitifully low amount for troops that worked all hours
Company Fund: £1.00 - the company level slush fund
Drums: £0.60 - maintaining the regtl drums

Total: £60.35

...we lived in cardboard box in t' middle of motorway.

EG

[Mach 2.2]

BG,

Is that based on your three day experience of PAYD in Dec '03?

[Vage Rot]

My Mess Bill at ISK is £23 before I start. Most expensive I've experienced.

Heard someone managed to get some tax back on mess subs - anyone any info?

[Cockney Geezer]

Its not too bad at Brize, tends to be the booze that hurts my wallet.

What would suit me would be an all-you-can-drink setup. You pay a one-off £60 at the beginning of the month, and attack the bar with all your might for the remainder of the month. Some months you'll be down route lots and the bar will cash in. Other months, you cash in. Ultimately everyone's a winner, especially me!

Cockney Geezer