The Sutlers Supreme

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.