My question behind this is mess hall protocol in the Army really that strict??? Are people denied entry (by rank), are people allowed to take seconds or is it a scene like the orphanage in Oliver Twist? Are Base CO actually required to eat there. The reason I ask is because both my college and that of my sisters were run by the same caterer (Sudexho). Her cantine was actually very good while mine tasted like left over cat food. It seems surprising based on what I read here (aka BritinAfrica) that there is such a difference in quality between different bases, I would have thought quality of service would be universal on all military posts.
It is in the British Military, there is an Officers Mess, Senior NCO's Mess and OR (other ranks) Mess. There were in some Army units a Corporals Mess, but this was basically a bar for Lance and Full Corporal's only.
As far as I am aware, officers were served by waiters I have no idea how Senior NCO's got their food, OR's queued up for theirs. If a man so wanted, he could usually get seconds if there were any left over, but usually one sitting was enough.
All mess's in the Royal Air Force were seperate buildings.
As I mentioned, the quality of the food depended on the Catering Officer and his staff on that unit. Each man had an allowance per day that the Catering Officer had to spend, so the quality of the food depended on local prices, where the rations were obtained.
As I mentioned in an earlier post (I cannot remember the exact amount) around 1968 a man was allowed 2 Shillings and Six pence a day for rations, while police dogs had an allowance of 3 Shillings and Six Pence a day!
In the field all ranks ate the same compo rations, while I would always try to supliment mine by visiting the local shops.
A few years ago a number of us were on exercise with the US Army at Coleman Barracks in Germany. I was amazed at the quality and selection of food available and if I remember correctly (this is over 30 years ago) all ranks used the same mess. Some US Army guys were amused when we added milk to our tea lol.