| Initial |
Full |
Other
info |
| AA
& QMG |
assistant
adjutant and quartermaster general |
Division
staff |
| AB |
Army
Book |
|
| ACC |
Army
Cyclist Corps |
|
| ADC |
Aide
de camp |
generals
personal staff |
| Adj |
adjutant |
Battalion |
| ADMS |
Assistant
Director of Medical services |
Division
medical officer |
| ADS |
Advanced
Dressing Station |
2nd
link in medical evacuation chain |
| AF |
Army
Form |
|
| AG |
Adjutant
general |
|
| AIF |
Australian
Imperial Force |
|
| ANZAC |
Australian
and New Zealand Army Corps |
|
| AO |
Army
Order |
|
| AOC |
Army
Ordnance Corps |
|
| AP |
Armour
Piercing |
Ammunition |
| APC |
Army
Pay Corps |
|
| APM |
Assistant
provost Marshal |
Military
Police |
| APO |
Army
Post Office |
|
| Archie |
Anti-Aircraft
Gun or gunfire |
slang |
| ASC |
Army
Service Corps |
Transport |
| AT |
Army
Troops |
|
| AVC |
Army
Veterinary Corps |
|
| BAC |
Brigade
Ammunition Column |
|
| BC |
Battery
Commander |
Artillery |
| BEF |
British
Expeditionary Force |
Western
front |
| BGGS |
Brigadier
general, general staff |
Chief
of staff of a corps |
| Blighty |
Home,
Britain |
from
Hindu word for Foreign country |
| BM |
Brigade
major |
|
| BQMS |
battery
quartermaster sergeant |
Artillery |
| BRCS |
British
Red Cross Society |
|
| BSM |
battery
sergeant major |
WO2
in Artillery |
| Bullring |
training
area at the base |
Etaples
in particular |
| Canary |
Training
NCO at the base |
They
wore yellow armbands |
| CB |
Companion
of the order of the Bath |
award |
| |
Confined
to barracks |
|
| |
counter
battery |
Artillery |
| CCS |
Casualty
clearing Station |
3rd
link in evacuation chain |
| CEF |
Canadian
Expeditionary Force |
|
| CGS |
Chief
of the general staff |
Chief
of staff - BEF |
| CIGS |
Chief
of the Imperial general staff |
head
of British Army |
| CLC |
Chinese
Labour Corps |
|
| CMG |
Companion
of the order of St Michael and St George |
award |
| C
in C |
Commander
in Chief |
Field
Marshall French and then Haig |
| CO |
commanding
officer |
Battalions
and equivalents |
| Cpl |
Corporal |
Army
Rank |
| CQMS |
company
quartermaster sergeant |
senior
NCO - admin at company |
| CRA |
Commander
Royal Artillery |
Division |
| CRE |
Commander
Royal Engineers |
Division |
| CSM |
company
sergeant major |
WO2 |
| CT |
Communication
Trench |
|
| DAA |
deputy
assistant adjutant |
Staff
officer |
| QMG |
quartermaster
general |
Staff
officer |
| DADMS |
deputy
assistant director of medical services |
Staff
officer |
| DADOS |
deputy
assistant director of Ordnance Services |
Senior
Ordnance officer in Division |
| DAP |
Divisional
Ammunition Park |
|
| DAQMG |
deputy
assistant quartermaster |
Staff
officer |
| DCM |
Distinguished
Conduct Medal |
other
ranks |
| DFC |
Distinguished
Flying Cross |
|
| DR |
Dispatch
Rider |
|
| DSC |
Distinguished
Service Cross |
Naval
Medal |
| DSM |
Distinguished
Service Medal |
Naval
Medal |
| DSO |
Distinguished
Service Order |
Officers |
| EEF |
Egyptian
Expeditionary Force |
|
| FGCM |
Field
General Court Martial |
|
| Flying
Pig |
Type
of Mortar bomb |
|
| FOO |
forward
observation officer |
|
| FP |
Field
Punishment |
|
| FPO |
Field
Post Office |
Royal
Engineers |
| FSC |
Field
Survey Company |
Royal
Engineers |
| GHQ |
general
headquarters |
H.Q.
of BEF |
| GOC |
general
officer commanding |
brigade,division,corps
or army |
| GRU |
Graves
Registration Unit |
|
| GS |
General
Service |
as
in GS Wagon |
| GSO |
general
staff officer |
|
| HS |
Home
Service |
|
| IO |
Intelligence
Officer |
|
| IWGC |
Imperial
War Graves Commission |
later
CWGC |
| Jack
Johnson |
German
heavy shell |
also
Coal Box |
| KCB |
Knight
Commander of the Order of the Bath |
award |
| L
of C |
Lines
of Communication |
|
| MB |
Medical
Board |
|
| MC |
Military
Cross |
Medal
-officers |
| MEF |
Mediterranean
Expeditionary Force |
|
| MG |
machine
gun |
|
| MGC |
Machine
Gun Corps |
|
| Minnie |
Minenwerfer |
German
trench mortar |
| MM |
Military
Medal |
medal
- other ranks |
| MiD |
Mentioned
in Dispatches |
oak
leaf on medal |
| MO |
Medical
officer |
|
| MT |
Motorised
Transport |
|
| NCC |
Non-Combatant
Corps |
|
| NCO |
non-commissioned
officer |
|
| OC |
officer
commanding |
companies
or platoons |
| OR |
other
ranks - private soldiers and NCOs |
as
distinct from officers |
| OTC |
Officer
Training Corps |
|
| PBI |
Poor
Bloody Infantry |
|
| PM |
Provost
Marshall |
Military
Police |
| PoW |
Prisoner
of War |
|
| PPCLI |
Princess
Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry |
|
| Pte |
Private |
Army
rank |
| QM |
quartermaster |
battalion |
| QMG |
quartermaster
general |
|
| RAMC |
Royal
Army Medical Corps |
|
| RAP |
Regimental
aid post |
first
link in evac chain |
| RE |
Royal
Engineers |
Sappers |
| register |
adjust
artillery fire onto a target |
Artillery |
| RFA |
Royal
Field Artillery |
Artillery |
| RFC |
Royal
Flying Corps |
RAF
1918 |
| RGA |
Royal
Garrison Artillery |
Artillery |
| RHA |
Royal
Horse Artillery |
Artillery |
| RMLI |
Royal
Marine Light Infantry |
|
| RMO |
Regimental
medical officer |
MO
- medic |
| RQMS |
regimental
quartermaster sergeant |
|
| RSM |
Regimental
sergeant major |
WO1 |
| RTO |
railway
transport officer |
|
| SAA |
Small
Arms ammunition |
rifle,
machine gun |
| SB |
stretcher-bearer |
|
| Sgt |
Sergeant |
rank |
| SIW |
self-inflicted
wound |
|
| SOS |
save
our souls; |
artillery |
| SP |
Strong
Point |
|
| stand
to |
period
at dawn and dusk- battle positions |
|
| TC |
Tank
Corps |
|
| TM |
Trench
mortar |
|
| TMB |
Trench
Mortar battery |
|
| Toffee
Apple |
Type
of trench mortar bomb |
|
| VAD |
Voluntary
Aid Detachment |
|
| VC |
Victoria
Cross |
highest
award - for valour |
| WO |
Warrant
officer |
class
1 or 2 |
| |
|
|
| Other |
Possibles
you may come across |
|
| German |
Jerry,
Fritz, The hun or Boche |
|
| French |
soldier
- poilu |
french
other ranks |
| British |
Tommy
or tommy Atkins |
used
at home but rarely by the men |
| Wipers |
Ypres
in Belgian flanders |
|
| Vin
Blanc |
plonk |
|
| rest
camp |
cemetery |
|
| Gone
west |
killed |
|
| Body
snatcher |
stretcher
bearer |
|
| bombproof |
safe
job behind the lines |
|
| bumf |
bum
fodder - paperwork from H.Q. |
slang
for red tape |
| |
|
|
| |
Just
a taste but hopefully the above will help |
|
| |
Steve
Morse 2005. Others gratefully received |
|