Tea Above the Clouds: The NAAFI Canteen on the Gerlitzen Alpe
A NAAFI canteen perched high above the clouds in the Austrian Alps might sound improbable. Yet for several winters during the British occupation of Carinthia, that is precisely what existed on the slopes of the Gerlitzen Alpe above Villach. Here, at the Pöllingerhütte some 5,000 feet above sea level, British servicemen learning to ski could warm themselves with tea and a plate of ham, egg and chips, served by NAAFI staff who had followed the troops into one of the most unusual catering outposts the organisation ever operated.
During the early years of the British occupation, the mountains of Carinthia quickly became more than just a dramatic backdrop to garrison life. British servicemen and civilians posted to the region quickly embraced Alpine skiing, organising competitions and winter training from the first occupation winter of 1945–46. The slopes around Villach and the Gerlitzen soon echoed with the activity of regimental ski teams, improvised races, and soldiers learning a sport many had never encountered before arriving in Austria.
Access to the mountain was made possible by the Kanzelbahn, the cable railway linking the lakeside village of Annenheim on the Ossiacher See with the Kanzelhöhe plateau high above Villach. Opened in 1928 to develop the Gerlitzen as a winter sports destination, the lift provided British troops with a ready-made gateway to the slopes. From there, skiers could continue higher still towards the summit and the Pöllingerhütte, where NAAFI had established its remarkable alpine canteen.
Skiing on the Kanzel
Evidence of this enthusiasm for Alpine sport appears very early in the occupation period. Reports in The Carinthian, the British forces newspaper in Austria, described a competitive ski meeting held on the Kanzel above Villach in January 1947. The event brought together British competitors and visiting teams from Styria and Vienna for a series of downhill and slalom races organised on the slopes below the Gerlitzen summit. The detailed report illustrates how quickly skiing had become an organised activity for British troops stationed in Carinthia, with courses prepared, officials appointed, and spectators gathering on the mountainside to watch the races unfold.
Ski Meeting on the "Kanzel", published in The Carinthian, No.16, 25 January 1947.
Skiing quickly developed beyond informal recreation. By the late 1940s the slopes around the Kanzel were hosting organised competitions involving British and Allied teams. Reports in British Troops Austria publications record inter-Allied ski tournaments held on the Gerlitzen slopes, with downhill and slalom races conducted under International Ski Rules and competitors drawn from British, French, and American occupation forces. Such events reflected how quickly Alpine sport had become part of the rhythm of winter life for troops stationed in Carinthia.
Diagram of the ski courses on the Gerlitzen above Villach, showing the slalom and downhill routes used during an Inter Allied Ski Tournament. Source: The Carinthian, No. 17, 1 February 1947.
A Canteen Above the Snowline
Where British troops gathered in the mountains, NAAFI was rarely far behind. High on the slopes of the Gerlitzen Alpe, overlooking the Ossiacher See and the town of Villach far below, a small chalet at the Pöllingerhütte became one of the most unusual catering outposts the organisation ever operated. Perched around 5,000 feet above sea level, and often quite literally above the cloud line, the hut served as a NAAFI canteen for soldiers and civilians who had made the journey up the mountain to ski, train, or simply enjoy the Alpine winter.
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NAAFI canteen at the Pöllinger Hütte on the Gerlitzen Alpe, Carinthia. From NAAFI Pictorial: NAAFI Spans the Forces' World (1947).
A later account in NAAFI News captured the remarkable setting of the canteen. Looking out from the chalet, the writer asked readers to imagine what lay beyond the building: a turbulent lake, a snow field, perhaps even a Norwegian fjord. In reality, the vast white expanse was cloud — a reminder that the small NAAFI outpost stood above the valley weather, high on the slopes of the Gerlitzen Alpe.
The NAAFI canteen on the Gerlitzen Alpe reached via the Kanzelbahn lift system. Photograph reproduced in NAAFI News, April 1952.
The Two Women on the Mountain
Life at the Pöllingerhütte was made possible by the small NAAFI team who ran the canteen high on the Gerlitzen slopes. In the early 1950s the outpost was staffed by two women whose names were remembered by those who made the journey up the mountain: Mary Howell, from Nairn in Scotland, and Winnie Ormerod, from Bury in Lancashire. Five thousand feet above the valley floor, the two women spent their days serving hot food and drinks to soldiers, skiers and visitors who arrived at the chalet after the long ascent from Villach.
A contemporary report in NAAFI News described the remarkable setting of the canteen and the unusual journey required to reach it.
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John Arlott on the Mountain
Among the visitors who made the journey up the Gerlitzen slopes was the English broadcaster and journalist John Arlott. Already well known to sports listeners in Britain, Arlott travelled to Austria in early 1952 to give a series of educational talks to British troops stationed in the occupation zone. During his visit he took the opportunity to explore the winter sports centres around Villach — including the remarkable NAAFI canteen high on the Gerlitzen.
"John Arlott Speaks in Austria" The BTA Weekly Journal, No. 57 21 February 1952.
While in Carinthia, Arlott travelled to the Gerlitzen to see the skiing area for himself. There he encountered the small NAAFI canteen at the Pöllingerhütte, run by Mary Howell of Nairn and Winnie Ormerod of Bury. The unusual setting clearly amused him, and shortly after returning to Britain he wrote a short column describing the experience.
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John Arlott describes the NAAFI canteen on the Gerlitzen Alpe. The Evening News, 10 March 1952.
Arlott’s column captured the surreal journey to reach the chalet: a funicular climb up the Kanzelbahn, followed by a chair lift above deep snow to the high mountain hut. Inside, visitors found a familiar slice of British canteen life — eggs and chips, beans on toast, and tea served to skiers who had travelled far above the valley to reach the hut.
Note: Arlott would later become one of Britain’s most recognisable cricket commentators, the distinctive voice of BBC Test Match Special for a generation of listeners.
A Small Outpost Above the Clouds
For the soldiers and civilians who travelled up the Gerlitzen slopes each winter, the little NAAFI canteen at the Pöllingerhütte must have seemed an improbable sight: a familiar corner of British life perched high above the clouds of the Austrian Alps. Yet it was entirely typical of NAAFI’s role wherever British forces served. Whether in desert camps, garrison towns, or mountain chalets five thousand feet above the valley floor, the organisation followed the troops, providing small comforts that helped make distant postings feel a little closer to home. On the Gerlitzen Alpe, Mary Howell and Winnie Ormerod did exactly that — serving tea, eggs and chips, and a touch of British routine to skiers who had climbed far above Villach to find them.
Sources & References
- The Carinthian, British Troops Austria newspaper, No.16, 25 January 1947 – report on ski meeting on the Kanzel.
- The Carinthian, British Troops Austria newspaper, No.17, 1 February 1947 – Diagram of the ski courses on the Kanzel
- NAAFI Pictorial: NAAFI Spans the Forces' World (London: NAAFI, 1947) – photograph of the canteen at the Pöllinger Hütte.
- NAAFI News, April 1952 – description of the Gerlitzen mountain canteen and its supply route via the Kanzelbahn.
- BTA Weekly, 21 February 1952 – announcement of John Arlott’s visit to British Troops Austria.
- John Arlott, “NAAFI on an Alp,” The Evening News
Acknowledgements
My thanks to Paul Brazell of the Austro-British Society Carinthia for kindly providing access to copies of British Troops Austria publications used in researching this article. Austro-British Society Carinthia
