BFPO Boxes- Is there someone in the know?

[ThirdCultureKid]

I was having a laugh with a friend about the Play mobile thread that was trending on MN today as I have some Lego that I have dragged all over the world as an army kid, and its precious to me.

I mentioned to her that being only allocated one of those big wooden single BFPO boxes, you know the ones with the rope handles (and one bike) I had to make harsh choices over the years, esp as my Father was a specialist so we moved pretty much every six months or so. (for date reference, some of the late 70's, during all of the '80's and to the early '90's)

My Friend, also a Army kid, looked at me oddly and said 'where did you get that idea? You didn't get just one?' I was confused and said that my mother clearly and repeatedly told me and my brother that the rules were that kid got a single BFPO box each?

I am now wondering if my mother, who is not a very nice person, lied to me and my brother for YEARS that the rule was one box so that she could make sure to have extra for all the things she considered precious. It is very much the kind of thing she would do.

Does anyone know how the BFPO Box allocation worked?

(yes, knowing will not change anything, except to reiterate that she always was selfish, but it was a very heartbreaking lie if it was true)

No idea what it was like back then... but I found it tricky enough having 13m³ worth of allowance for an international move a few years ago!

It is worth saying though that the allowance depended on family size, rank and location.

Do you mean the tea chests used for shipping? We had loads (Navy) and I moved plenty of toys overseas and back. Tea chests went by sea (6 weeks from the Far East) so favourite things had to fit in a case for the flights.

We were a family of four. My Father was a Sergeant (He had enough experience in a very specialist field so his skills were very much in demand hence why we were moved so much. In his own words - he had a lot of scope to be much more senior but had way too little patience and way to much of a hot temper so used to get busted very often) So despite doing his full 22 he never got above Sergeant.

Yes, the wooden tea chest style boxes!

We did have to ship them via boat too. The first few weeks at a new place would always be waiting for them to arrive so you were kitted out with army issue everything (anyone remember those horrible woollen itchy blankets and the crockery with the bird foot mark on the bottom and the wooden beds with the greyy melamine headboard?)

That furniture sounds like rhe stuff they still have!!!😂

Pretty sure you get/got cubic metres/yards whatever based on the number of people. So family of 3 would be x, family of 4 would be x multiplied by 1.2 or similar. Not allocated per person specifically.

We call them MFO boxes rather than BFPO?

I don’t remember having a specific box as a child. I think each family must have had an allocation, based on the number of people, but it would have been up to them how to use it x

I was moving during the same time period as you OP!

Sorry I did miss the 'location' part of the reply above - we went everywhere! and the one BFPO box allocation never changed. Far East, Germany, Hong Kong, Cyprus, if you bring up the list of schools below Ive been to a fair old chunk of them

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Service_Children%27s_Education#

I remember crying because i had to choose between my cherished books (given to me by my grandmother) of the my little ponies given by a friend for my birthday. because everything I owned had to fit into this box

www.flickr.com/photos/mikewphotos/8656105672/sizes/o/in/photostream/

I mentioned to her that being only allocated one of those big wooden single BFPO boxes, you know the ones with the rope handles (and one bike) I had to make harsh choices over the years

oh yes. But they are called MFO boxes (something like Move Furniture Overseas?). I think you used to get one box per child and then 3 or 4 for the family? It lead to really tough choices.

You are all right - It was a MFO box, not a BFPO box 😆

I had forgotten!

MFO is Movement of Forces Overseas. Or it was. I suspect your mum was being mean

I used to love the smell of those boxes, and the whole moving process. Such excitement, new school, new house, new location.
And then when i was in the army they introduced the cardboard boxes and all the fun was gone :)

@Brefugee I agree - I loved the excitement of moving. We really got the chance to live in some beautiful places and because we were kids we had all the extra time to explore and run wild all over the world. It was great.

You got a moving volume allowance. That would be less if you lived in furnished quarters. I fondly remember the boxes, oh the joy when we put them together with a drill instead of a ratchet screwdriver.

Everyone used to beg to borrow my electric screwdriver when it came to being posted and making up those boxes. I was rather proud of my 'power tool' 😊