• Private Letters

• When writing to a Field or General Officer, not well known to an officer, he should start "Dear General Blank." To a Subaltern or Captain he should start "Dear Blank." To finish a letter addressed to a senior officer, "Yours sincerely" should be used, and for an officer of subaltern’s or Captain’s rank "Yours ever". The writer does not put his rank after his signature.

• When writing to a Senior Officer well known to him, an officer should commerce with "Dear General" or "Dear Major."

• It is entirely wrong in private correspondence to address a senior officer as "Dear Sir."

• Great care should be taken to ensure that the correct decorations and initials are put on the envelope. If not known, these must be discovered from the Force Staff List.

• Answering Invitations

• Answers to invitations should be sent off as soon as possible. Delay only causes inconvenience and anxiety to the host or hostess, besides upsetting their arrangements.

Private Invitations

These should be replied to in the form in which they are written. For example, an invitation received commencing "Dear Mr White" and finishing "Yours sincerely," should be replied to in the same style – "Dear Mr (or Mrs) Black" and ending "Yours sincerely."

Formal invitations

There is only one way to reply to a formal invitation and that is by a formal reply.

An invitation in which an officer’s company is requested by one, or a number of persons, requires a formal answer in the following style:

"Mr A.N. Other has much pleasure in accepting the kind invitation of …………………. to …………………… at………………. (time)………….. on ……………………….. (day or date)…………………………

"Mr. A.N. Other much regrets that, owing to a previous engagement, he is unable to accept the kind invitation of …………………………..

Neither of the above replies should be signed

• Official Correspondence
  .
  This subject will be dealt with under the following headings:

• Formal letters
• Demi-official (DO) letters
• Routine letters
• Memoranda.

• Formal Letters

• A junior officer will normally only need to write a formal letter when applying for leave or some similar occasion.

• Demi-official letters

• These letters usually consist of personal correspondence between officers on Service matters, and allow a more informal method of address. They must not be quoted in official correspondence, and they are filed separately.

• They are inclined to cause complications because of separate filing, so should be used sparingly.

• Routine letters

• These are the normal everyday letters dealing with service matters.

• In correspondence with civilian authorities or members of the public the layout of the routine letter, with a salutation and conventional ending, provides the most generally used framework. References to previous correspondence or documents are made in the text. The style of the letter must be appropriate to both the subject and the recipient.

• Memoranda (memo).   The printed form (AFC 348) may be used for correspondence on minor matters at all levels, and within Departments, Headquarters or Units. It is designed to save time and isnormally written in manuscript. Abbreviations may be used throughout.

• Signing letters

• Under no circumstances should an officer sign any letter or document without first reading and understanding the contents and also satisfying himself that the contents are correct and accurate.

• Dating Signatures

• When an officer has any correspondence typed for him he should tell the clerk to leave the date blank. On signing the document, the officer should put in the date.

• This applies to any document which an officer may sign or initial, and the date is that on which the document is signed.

• Adding Regiment or Corps

• When signing official correspondence an officer should put his regiment or corps after his signature.

• When addressing any correspondence to an officer of the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, Royal Marines, Royal Artillery, or Royal Engineers, it is customary to put the initials of the Service or corps after the name and decorations of the addressee, eg. Commander A Broadside, DSO, DSO, RN; Captain T O Morrow, R A.

• The best guide as to which form of letter should be used when writing a reply is to reply in the same form as the original.

• Official Calls

• Officers are required to make official calls by signing the Visitor’s Books of the dignitaries listed at sub-paragraph b from time to time. Normally such calls should be made in January each year.

• The following calls are to be made.-

• By all Officers, on:-

• The Governor-General
• The Prime Minister
• The Bishop of Jamaica
• The Roman Catholic Bishop of Kingston
• The Chief Justice
• The Chief of Staff.

• By all Field Officers, on:-

• The Prime Minister
• All Commonwealth High Commissioners who are resident in Jamaica.
• Commissioner of Police

• In addition, officers above the rank of Major are to call on all Ambassadors accredited to Jamaica.

• When Officers are invited to King’s House, they must also sign the book within seven days after the event.

• Visiting Cards

• Regiments may have their own type of visiting card, but the most customary one is as shown.

• The card should have engraved on it the officer’s rank ("Mr." in the case of a Subaltern), name, and initials, his regiment, and if a member of Local club, the name of that club.

• The writing must be engraved, and not printed, and should be in copperplate. Under no circumstances should decorations or degrees be shown.

• People on whom to call

• It is the normal custom for an officer an joining any unit to call on the Mess and the married officers. He should call on the Chief of Staff, going in uniform and writing his name in the book. Then he should call on the other Messes and the Commanding Officer of other units.

• Other calls are as per Force Standing Orders and on the officer’s own discretion. On joining, the officer should find out on whom to call and should do it as soon as possible.

• Calling on a Mess

• When calling on a Mess an officer should take with him two cards. On one he should write the name of the Commanding Officer and the regiment as follows:

Lieutenant Colonel D Blank, CB, DSO,
Commanding 1^st Bn. The Blankshire Regiment

• On the second one he should write:

The Officers,
1^st Bn the Blankshire Regiment.

• Calling for the Regiment or Unit

• When a unit or subunit first arrives in a new station it is normally the custom for the officers to call on other Messes and senior officers and civilians on behalf of the regiment or unit.

• In this case, two officers usually go out together and they should take with them two regimental cards, and their own. The regimental cards should have the following particulars on them:-

On one: Lieutenant Colonel AB Snooks, Commanding
1^st Bn The Blankshire Regiment.

On the other: The officers, 1^st Bn The Blankshire
Regiment.

• Calling when attached

• When attached to another unit for training, or to a school for a course, besides calling on the Mess or permanent Staff Mess on arrival, the officer should call on the Commanding Officer and his Company or Squadron Commander, or equivalent, if they are married.

• The two cards mentioned at (Calling for the Regiment of Unit above) should be left in the Mess.

• ppc Cards

• On leaving a station an officer should call on those people and Messes on whom he called on arrival, and leave his card marked "ppc" in one corner. "ppc" stands for "pour prendre conge."

• Official entertainment

• It is customary to call on or write a thank you note to the hosts after attending an "Official" occasion, dinner or dance. In certain circumstances a telephone call may be admissable. This should be done the next day if possible.