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Glossary of acronyms and abbreviations
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Many acronyms and abbreviations are commonly used in connection with medals and decorations. There are certainly far more in existence than will be found on this site. Also there are differences in the way these are spelt or presented. For example RAF may appear as R.A.F. For this reason I have decided to limit this glossary to those acronyms and abbreviations that appear on this site. |
A
| AB | Able Bodied |
| AC | AirCraftsman |
| ACE | Air Crew Europe |
| AFC | Air Force Cross |
| AM(1,2,3) | Airman 1st, 2nd or 3rd class |
B
| Bar | Additional award of the same decoration worn on the ribbon, i.e. DFC and Bar. |
| Bn | Battalion |
C
| C.A.C.S | Central Air Communications Squadron. |
| Campaign Medal | Awarded for active service in the many wars and "Police Actions" throughout British history. |
| CBE | Commander of the British Empire. |
| CID | Criminal Investigation Department. |
| Clasp | Awarded for service in action and fitted on the ribbon of the relevant campaign medal, i.e. Military General Service Medal and 7 clasps. |
| CO | Commanding Officer for a Battalion or Regiment as it is nowadays, or for a collection of Companies or Squadrons. (Also see OC) |
| Cpl | Corporal |
| CPO | Chief Petty Officer |
| CSM | Campaign Service Medal |
| CWGC | Commonwealth and War Graves Commission |
| C-Dvr | Co-driver |
D
| Decoration | Usually a gallantry award such as the DFC or MC, etc. |
| DFC | Distinguished Flying Cross |
| Dvr | Driver |
E
| EFTS | Empire Flight Training School |
| Engr. | Engineer |
F
| F & G | France and Germany |
| FRIBA | Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects. |
G
| GSM | General Service Medal |
H
| HMA | His Majesty's Airship |
| Horse | Cavalry Regiment |
I
| IGS 08 | Indian General Service Medal 1908 issue |
| ISM | Imperial Service Medal |
| I.S.O | Imperial Service Order |
J
| J.R. | Junior Reserve |
K
| KCB | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath |
| KIA | Killed In Action |
| KRRC | King's Royal Rifle Corps |
| K.St.J. | Knight of the Order of St. John |
L
| LG | London Gazette |
| L/Sjt | Lance Sergeant |
| LS&GC | Long Service and Good Conduct Medal |
| Lt | Lieutenant |
M
| MBE | Member of the Order of the British Empire |
| M.B.R.A. | Mountain Battery Royal Artillery |
| MC | Military Cross |
| M.G.C. | Machine Gun Corps. |
| Memorial Plaque | A large bronze disk 120mm in diameter that was given to the next of kin of those who died during WW1 |
| MGSM | Military General Service Medal |
| MiD | Mention in despatches - a minor gallantry award usually a bronze oak leaf worn on the appropriate ribbon, i.e. the Victory Medal of WW1 and the war medal of WW2 |
| Miniature | This is a small copy of the full size award and is worn on dinner jackets or mess kits as opposed to the full sized ones that are normally only worn on uniform. |
| M.L.M. | Member of the Order of the Legion of Merit. |
N
| NACRO | National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders. |
| NGSM | Naval General Service Medal |
| NOK | Next Of Kin |
O
| OBE | Order of the British Empire. |
| OC | Officer Commanding a Company or Squadron of typically up to 100 men. (Also see CO) |
| OMRS | Orders and Medals Research Society |
| OTU | Operational Training Unit |
P
| Pair | War and Victory medals of WW1 |
| PRO | see TNA |
| Pte | Private |
| PULHEEMS PULHHEEMS after 1983 |
P - physical characteristics(height, weight, etc) U - upper limbs L - lower limbs H - hearing( - left ear ) (H - hearing - right ear ) E - left eye E - right eye M -mental state S - stability |
Q
| Q.M. | Quarter Master |
R
| RA | Royal Artillery |
| RAF | Royal Air Force |
| R.A.F.V.R. | Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. |
| RAOC | Royal Army Ordanance Corps |
| RCT | Royal Corps of Transport |
| RE | Royal Engineers |
| Regt | Regiment |
| RFA | Royal Field Artillery |
| RFC | Royal Flying Corps. On 1st April 1918 was amalgamated with the Royal Naval Air Service to form the Royal Air Force. |
| R.G.A. | Royal Garrison Artillery |
| Ribbon Bar | This is worn on uniform when the medals themselves are not worn, medals themselves are usually only worn on official parades. |
| RNAS | Royal Naval Air Service On 1st April 1918 was amalgamated with the Royal Flying Corps to form the Royal Air Force. |
S
| Sgt | Sergeant |
| Spr | Sapper |
T
| T&AVR | Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve |
| TD | Territorial Decoration |
| TNA | the National Archives (formerly Public Records Office) |
| Tpr | Trooper |
| Trio | Normally the 14 or 14/15 Star, War and Victory medals of WW1 (Also referred to as "Pip, Squeak and Wilfred", cartoon characters of that period) |
U
| U-ADTR. | Unit Administrator |
V
| V.A.D. | Voluntary Aid Detachment |
W
| Wark's | Warwickshire |
| WM | War Medal |
| WRVS | Women's Royal Voluntary Service (UK charity; formerly WVS) |
| WW1 (2) | World War 1 (2) |
X
Y
| Y.S. | Yeoman of Signals |
Z