|
1/1 |
e.g. 1/1 Maritime Regt or 1st Battery
of 1st Regiment |
|
1c |
1st class |
|
2c |
2nd class |
|
3c |
3rd class |
|
(A) |
Air Branch (officer) |
|
(A) |
Air Frame (rating) |
|
AA |
anti-aircraft |
|
AB |
Able Seaman |
|
Act/ |
Acting |
|
ADM |
Admiralty (document) |
|
AEW |
airborne early warning |
|
AFU |
Advanced Flying Unit |
|
(AR) |
(Radio rating) |
|
A/S |
anti-submarine |
|
(AW) |
(Radio rating) |
|
Bantie |
South African rating |
|
Bhandary |
Royal Indian Navy rating |
|
BVLS |
“British Vessels Lost at Sea 1939-1945”, HMSO |
|
BYMS |
British Yard Minesweeper (US-built) |
|
BPD |
Boom Patrol Detachment |
|
(Ch) |
Chatham
(after service number) |
|
CO |
commanding officer |
|
CPO |
Chief Petty Officer |
|
CWGC |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission |
|
CWO |
Commissioned Warrant Officer |
|
(D) |
Dentist |
|
DAMS |
Defensively Armed Merchant Ships (WW1) |
|
DEMS |
Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships (WW2) |
|
DFC |
Distinguished Flying Cross |
|
DOI |
died of injuries |
|
DOW |
died of wounds |
|
DOWS |
died on war service |
|
DSC |
Distinguished Service Cross |
|
DSM |
Distinguished Service Medal |
|
DSO |
Distinguished Service Order |
|
Du |
Dutch |
|
(E) |
Engineering Branch (officer) |
|
(E) |
Engines (Air Mechanic rating) |
|
EFTS |
Elementary Flight
Training School |
|
FAA |
Fleet Air Arm |
|
FPB |
fast patrol boat |
|
FIS |
Flight Instructor School |
|
GM |
George Medal |
|
Gr |
Greece |
|
HBL |
Home Based Ledger, i.e. miscellaneous personnel |
|
(HG) |
Higher Grade - World War 1 |
|
HKRNVR |
Hong Kong RNVR |
|
HMCG |
His Majesty’s Coast Guard |
|
HQ |
Headquarters |
|
HS |
hospital ship |
|
i/c |
in charge |
|
IED |
improvised explosive device |
|
Immed Cl |
Immediate Class (World War 1) |
|
ITC |
Infantry Training Command (Royal Marines) |
|
jg |
Junior Grade Lieutenant, US Navy |
|
Krooman |
African seaman, including South Africa |
|
(L) |
Electrical (rating) |
|
LA |
Light Assault (Royal Marines) |
|
Lascar |
general term for a sailor from the Indian Ocean area, mainly
India, serving on British ship |
|
LBE |
landing barge, emergency repair |
|
LBO |
landing barge, oiler |
|
LBV |
landing barge vehicle |
|
LBV(M) |
landing barge vehicle (motorised) i.e. not a dumb barge |
|
LBW |
landing barge, water |
|
LCA |
landing craft assault |
|
LCF |
landing craft flak |
|
LCF(L) |
landing craft flak (large) |
|
LCG(L) |
landing craft gun (large) |
|
LCH |
landing craft headquarters |
|
LCI(L) |
landing craft infantry (large) |
|
LCI(M) |
landing craft infantry (medium) |
|
LCM |
landing craft mechanised |
|
LCOCU |
Landing Craft Obstacle Clearance Unit |
|
LCP |
landing craft personnel |
|
LCP(L) |
landing craft personnel (large) |
|
LCP(R) |
landing craft personnel (ramped) |
|
LCQ |
landing craft administration |
|
LCS(L) |
landing craft support (large) |
|
LCS(M) |
landing craft support (medium) |
|
LCT |
landing craft tank |
|
LCT(A) |
landing craft tank (armoured |
|
LCT(R) |
landing craft tank (rocket) |
|
LCU |
landing craft, utility |
|
LCV |
landing craft vehicle |
|
LCVP |
landing craft vehicle/personnel |
|
LNO |
Leading Naval Officer |
|
LS |
Leading Seaman |
|
LSE(LC) |
landing ship emergency repair (Landing Craft), ex-LST |
|
LSL |
landing ship logistics |
|
LST |
landing ship tank |
|
LST(C) |
landing ship tank (carrier) |
|
MAA |
Master-at-Arms |
|
MA/SB |
motor anti-submarine boat |
|
MBE |
Member of the British Empire |
|
MBMU |
Motor Boat Maintenance Unit |
|
MC |
Military Cross |
|
Met |
Meteorological |
|
MFA |
mercantile fleet auxiliary |
|
MFV |
motor fishing vessel |
|
MFPV |
motor fishing patrol vessel |
|
MGB |
motor gun boat |
|
ML |
motor launch |
|
MMR |
Mercantile Marine Reserve |
|
MMS |
motor minesweeper |
|
MN |
Merchant Navy |
|
MNBDO |
Marine Naval Base Defence Organisation |
|
MONAB |
Mobile Naval Air Base (base name prefix is “Nab”) |
|
MPD |
missing presumed dead |
|
MPK |
missing presumed killed |
|
MT |
Motor Tanker |
|
MTB |
motor torpedo boat |
|
MV |
motor vessel |
|
NAP |
Naval Auxiliary Patrol |
|
NAPS |
Naval Auxiliary Patrol Service |
|
NAS |
Naval Air Station |
|
NCSO |
Naval Chief Staff Officer |
|
NDF |
Naval Defence Force |
|
NDP |
Naval Dockyard Police |
|
NID |
Naval Intelligence Division |
|
No |
Norwegian |
|
(NS) |
World War 1 rank abbreviation - not known |
|
NVF |
Naval Volunteer Force |
|
NZD |
New Zealand Division (of the Royal Navy, preceeded formation
of RNZN) |
|
(O) |
Officer’s Cook or Steward (rating) |
|
(O) |
(Aircraft) Ordnance (rating) |
|
OFSI |
Operational Flying
School Instruction |
|
O/P |
on passage |
|
OTU |
Officer Training Unit |
|
(P) |
Pilot |
|
Para |
Parachute Regiment, British Army |
|
Pens |
Pensioner |
|
(Ply) |
Plymouth
(after service number) |
|
PO |
Petty Officer |
|
(Po) |
Polish (after ship) |
|
(Po) |
Portsmouth
(after service number) |
|
PS |
Patrol Service |
|
PWSS |
Port War Signal Station |
|
Py/ |
Probationary |
|
QARNNSR |
Queen Alexander’s Royal Naval Nursing Service Reserve |
|
QGM |
Queen’s Gallantry Medal |
|
RA |
Royal Artillery (British Army) |
|
RAF |
Royal Air Force |
|
RAFR |
Royal Australian Fleet Reserve |
|
RAMC |
Royal Army Medical Corps |
|
RAN |
Royal Australian Navy |
|
RANR |
Royal Australian Naval Reserve |
|
RANVR |
Royal Australian Naval Volunteer Reserve |
|
RCN |
Royal Canadian Navy |
|
RCNC |
Royal Corps of Naval Constructors |
|
RCNR |
Royal Canadian Naval Reserve |
|
RCNVR |
Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve |
|
RDF |
radio direction finding/radar operator – not a rating at
this time (World War 2) |
|
RE |
Royal Engineers (British Army) |
|
Regt |
Regiment |
|
ret |
Retired |
|
RFA |
Royal Fleet Auxiliary |
|
RFC |
Royal Flying Corps |
|
RFR |
Royal Fleet Reserve |
|
RFR A, B, C, IC |
RFR A, men in receipt of a life pension
from RN; RFR B, men who served in RN but were not in
receipt of a pension; RFR C, artisan ratings who have passed
through the dockyards as boy apprentices for the RN;
RFR IC, Immediate Class, similar to B, but could be
called up for service without a Royal Proclamation. |
|
RIM |
Royal Indian Marine |
|
RIN |
Royal Indian Navy |
|
RINR |
Royal Indian Naval Reserve |
|
RM |
Royal Marines |
|
RMA |
Royal Marine Artillery (World War 1) |
|
RMB |
Royal Marine Band |
|
RME |
Royal Marine Engineer |
|
RMLI |
Royal Marine Light Infantry (World War 1) |
|
RMPSR |
Royal Marine Police Special Reserve |
|
RMR |
Royal Marine Reserve |
|
RNAS |
Royal Naval Air Station or Service |
|
RNASBR |
Royal Navy Auxiliary Sick Berth Reserve |
|
RNCR |
Royal Naval Canadian Reserve (World War
1) |
|
RNCVR |
Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve
(World War 1) |
|
RND |
Royal Naval Division (World War 1) |
|
RNEC |
Royal Naval
Engineering College |
|
RNethN or RNN |
Royal
Netherlands or Dutch Navy |
|
RNorN |
Royal Norwegian Navy |
|
RNPS |
Royal Naval Patrol Service |
|
RNR |
Royal Naval Reserve |
|
RNSR |
Royal Naval Special or Supplementary Reserve |
|
RNVR |
Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve |
|
RNV(W)R |
Royal Naval Volunteer (Wireless) Reserve |
|
ROK |
Republic of Korea |
|
(S) |
Steward (rating) |
|
(S) |
Supply (officer) |
|
SA |
South Africa |
|
SANF |
South African Naval Force |
|
SAR |
sea-air rescue |
|
SBS |
Special Boat Service (Royal Marines) |
|
SCO |
sonar (asdic) control operator - not a rating at this time |
|
Seacunny |
Royal Indian Navy rating |
|
Seedie |
locally engaged crew member mostly on the East Africa
Station. |
|
Serang |
Royal Indian Navy rating |
|
SFTS |
Service Flight Training School |
|
SGB |
Steam gun boat |
|
SOE |
Special Operations Executive |
|
Sp Br |
Special Branch - intelligence |
|
Sqn |
Squadron |
|
SS |
Special Service (Royal Marines) |
|
SS |
steamship |
|
SS |
Straits Settlements
(part of modern Malaysia) |
|
ST |
Steam Tanker |
|
Sukhani |
Royal Indian Navy rating |
|
(T) |
Torpedo (specialist) |
|
T.124 |
merchant seaman serving under Naval Articles, Naval Officers and
subjecting them to naval discipline (number of the form) |
|
Tindal |
Royal Indian Navy rating (may be found spelt Tendal) |
|
Topass |
Royal Indian Navy rating |
|
Ty/ |
Temporary |
|
TE |
Training Establishment |
|
TS |
Training Ship |
|
TU |
Training Unit |
|
UXB |
unexploded bomb |
|
VAD |
Voluntary Aid Detachment (nurses and support staff) |
|
VRA |
Volunteer Reserve Airman |
|
WO |
Warrant Officer |
|
WRNS |
Women’s Royal Naval Service |
|
YMS |
Yard
Minesweeper, US-built |