Below is the definitive list of Military abbreviations used in the Great war; as taken from the four volumes of 'Order of Battle of Divisions'.
Note: For the period of the Great War the titles of regiments have been taken from the 1914-1918 Army Lists.
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A. (A.-A.) - (Anti-Aircraft). A.-A. & Q.-M.-G. - Assistant-Adjutant & Quarter-Master-General. A. & N.Z. - Australian & New Zealand. A. & S.H. - Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders. A. & Q. - Adjutant & Quartermaster-General. A.C. - Armoured Car. A.C.C. - Army Cyclist Corps (Home Service). A.-D. - Assistant-Director. Advd. - Advanced. A.F.A. Bde. - Army Field Artillery Brigade. A.H.Q. - Army Head-Quarters. A.L.H. - Australian Light Horse. Am. - American. Amb. or Ambce. - Ambulance. Ammn. Coln - Ammunition Column. Ammn. Park - Ammunition Park. Anzac. - Australian & New Zealand Army Corps. A.O. - Army Order. A.R.O. - Army Routine Order. Arty. - Artillery. A.S.C. - Army Service Corps. A.T. - Army Troops. A.T. Carts - Army Transport Carts. Aus. - Australian. Aux. - Auxillary. A.V.C. - Army Veterinary Corps. |
B. B.A.C. - Brigade Ammunition Column. Bde. - Brigade. Bedf. - Bedfordshire. Bedf. Yeo. - Bedfordshire Yeomanry. B.E.F. - British Expeditionary Force. Berks. - Berkshire. B.F.T. - British Forces in Turkey. B.-G. or Brig.-Gen. - Brigadier-General. B.-G.G.S. - Brigadier-General General Staff. B.-G. R.A. - Brigadier-General Royal Artillery (Commander of Royal Artillery of the Corps). B.-G.R.E. - Brigadier-General Royal Engineers. B.-G.R.H.A. Brigadier-General, Royal Horse Artillery B.L. - Breech-loader. B.L.C. - B.L. Converted. B.-M. - Brigade-Major. Bn. (Bns). - Battalion (Battalions). Border. - Border Regiment. Br.-Gen. - Brigadier-General. Bty. (Bties). - Battery (Batteries). Bucks. - Buckinghamshire. Buffs. - Buffs (East Kent Regiment). B.W. - Black Watch (Royal Highlanders). B.W.I. - British West Indies Regiment |
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C. Camb. - Cambridgeshire Regiment. Cam. H. - Cameron Highlanders. Capt. - Captain. Cav. or Cavy. -Cavalry. C.B. - Cavalry Brigade. C.C.S. - Casualty Clearing Station. cd. - Command. C.D.M.T. Coy. - Cavalry Divisional Mechanical Transport Company. Cdn. - Canadian. Cdr. - Commander. C.E. - Chief Engineer. C.E.D. - Corps Expeditionnaire des Dardanelles. C.E.O. - Corps Expeditionnaire d'Orient. C.F.A. - Combined Field Ambulance. C.G. - Coldstream Guards. C.G.S. - Chief of the General Staff. C.H.A. - Commander of Corps Heavy Artillery. Ches. - Cheshire Regiment. C.I. - Central India. C.I.G.S. - Chief of the Imperial General Staff. C. in C. - Commander-in-Chief. Col. - Colonel. Coll. - Colonial. Col.-Cdt. - Colonel-Commandant. Comp. - Composite. Conn. Rang. - Connaught Rangers. Co. - County. Coy. - Company. Cos. - Companies. C.R.E. - Commanding Royal Engineers. C.R.H.A. - Commanding Royal Horse Artillery. |
D. d. - Died. D. - Director. D.A.C. - Divisional Ammunition Column. D.A.D. - Deputy- Assistant-Director. D.A.G. - Deputy-Adjutant-General. D.-A. & Q.-M.-G. - Deputy-Adjutant & Quartermater-General. D.A.N. - Detachment d'Armee du Nord. D.C.L.I. - Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry. D.-D. - Deputy-Director. D.-D.M.S. - Deputy-Director Medical Services. D.-D.V.S. - Deputy-Director Veterinary Services. D.E. Coy - Divisional Employmeny Company. Detnt. - Detachment. D.F.P.S. - Detachment Francais de Palestine et Syrie. Devon - Devonshire Regiment. D.G. - Dragoon Guards. Dgns. - Dragoons. Disembkd. - Disembarked. Disembkn. - Disembarkation. Div. - Division. Divnl. - Divisional. D.L.I. - Durham Light Infantry. D.M.C. - Desert Mounted Corps. D. of L. Own Yeo. - Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry. d. of w. - died of wounds. Dorset - Dorsetshire Regiment. D.P. - Drill-pattern. Duke's - Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment). D.-Q.-M.-G. - Deputy-Quartermater General |
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E. E. - East; or Eastern. E.E.F - Egyptian Expeditionary Force. E.F. - Expeditionary Force. E.-in-C. - Chief Engineer (General Head-quarters). E. Lanc. - East Lancashire Regiment. Embkd. - Embarked. Emplnt. or Emplynt. - Employment. Eng. - Engineers. Entg. Bn. - Entrenching Battalion. Essex - Essex Regiment. E. Surr. - East Surrey Regiment. evcd. - evacuated. E. Yorks. - East Yorkshire Regiment. |
F. Fd. - Field. Fd. Amb. - Field Ambulance. Fr. - French. |
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G. (G.) - (Graduated Battalion). Garr. Gd. - Garrison Guard Battalion. G.B. or Garr. Bn. - Garrison Battalion. Gds. - Guards. G.G. - Grenadier Guards. G.H.Q. - General Head-Quarters. Glam. - Glamorganshire. Glouc. - Gloucestershire Regiment. G.O.C. - General Officer Commanding. Gord. H. - Gordon Highlanders. G.Q.G. - Grand Quartier General des Armees Francaises. G.Q.G.A. - Grand Quartier General des Armees Alliees en France. G.R.O. - General Routine Orders. Gr. How. - Green Howards (Alexandria Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment). G.S. - General Staff. G.S.O. 1. - General Staff Officer (1st Grade). |
H. (H.) - Howitzer. H., or How. - Howitzer. H.A., or Hy.Arty. - Heavy Artillery. H.A.C. - Honourable Artillery Company. H.A.G. - Heavy Artillery Group. H.A.R. - Heavy Artillery Reserve. Hants. - Hampshire. H.A.R. - Heavy Artillery Reserve. H.B. Heavy Battery. H.D. Trps. - Home Defence Troops. Hereford. - Herefordshire. Herts. - Hertfordshire. H.F. - Home Forces. H.L.I. - Highland Light Infantry. Home Co's - Home Counties. Home Cties. - Home Counties. Househ'ld. - Household. How. Bde. - Howitzer Brigade. How. Bty. - Howitzer Battery. H.Q. - Headquarters. Hsrs. - Hussars. H.T. - Horse Transport. H.T.M.B. - Heavy Trench Mortar Battery. Hy. - Heavy. Hy. Bde. - Heavy Brigade. Hy. Bty. - Heavy Battery. Hy. Bty. A.C. - Heavy Battery Ammunition Column. |
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I. I. - Intelligence. I.G. - Irish Guards. I.-G. - Inspector General. Impl. - Imperial. Ind. - Indian. Inf. - Infantry. Ir. - Irish. I.S. - Imperial Staff. It. - Italian. |
J. |
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K. k. or kd. - Killed. K.E. Horse - King Edward's Horse. K.G.O. - King George's Own. King's - King's (Liverpool Regiment). K.O. - King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment). K.OS.B. - Kings Own Scottish Borderers. K.O.Y.L.I. - King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. K.R.R.C. - King's Royal Rifle Corps. K.S.L.I. - King's (Shropshire Light Infantry). |
L. L., or Lt. - Light (whippets, if referring to Tank Bns.) L.A. - Light Armoured. L.C. - Light Car. Lcrs. - Lancers. Leic. - Leicestershire Regiment. Leic. Yeo. - Leicestershire Yeomanry. Leins. - Leinster Regiment. L.F. or Lanc. Fus. - Lancashire Fusiliers. Lanc. Fus. Bde. - Lancashire Fusiliers Brigade. L.G. - Lewis Gun. L.G. - Life Guards. L.H. L.I. - Light Infantry. Lieut.-General. - Lieutenant-General. Linc. - Lincolnshire Regiment. L.N.L. - Loyal North Lancashire Regiment. L. of C. - Lines of Communication. Lond. - London Regiment. Loyal. - The Loyal Regiment (North LAncashire). L.R.B. - London Rifle Brigade. L.S. - London Scottish. L.Sec. - Left Section. Lt.-Col. - Lieutenant-Colonel. |
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M. Manch. - Manchester Regiment. Med. - Medium. M.E.F. - Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. M.G.C. - Machine-Gun Corps. M.G.Coy. - Machine-Gun Company. M.G.C.(H.B.) - Machine-Gun Corps (Heavy Branch). M.-G.G.S. - Major-General General Staff. M.G.O. - Machine-Gun Officer. M.-G.R.A. - (Army). - Major-General Royal Artillery (G.O.C. R.A. of Army). M.-G.R.A. (G.H.Q.). - Major-General Royal Artillery (of Expeditionary Force). M.M.G. - Motor-Machine-Gun. M.O. - Medical Officer. Mobn. - Mobilization. Mob. Vety. Sec, - Mobile Veterinary Section. Mon. or Monm'th. - Monmouthshire Regiment. Montgom. - Montgomeryshire. M.S. - Medical Services. Maj. - Major. Maj.-Gen. - Major-General. m.g. - machine gun. M.G. Sec. - Machine-Gun Section. M.G. Sqdn. - Machine-Gun Squadron. M.I. - Mounted Infantry. Middlx. - Middlesex Regiment. Midld. - MIdland. Mk. - Mark. Mn. - Midnight. M.T. - Mechanical Transport. Mtd. - Mounted. Mtn. - Mountain. |
N. N. - North. Newf'dld - Newfoundland. N.F. - Northumberland Fusiliers. N. Irish H. - North Irish Horse. N.M. Fd. Coy. - North Midland Fuiliers. Norf. - Norfolk Regiment. Northants. Yeo. - Northamptonshire Yeomanry. North'd - Northumberland. North'n - Northamptonshire. N. Som. - North Somerset. N. Staff. - North Staffordshire Regiment. N.S.W. - New South Wales. Notts. - Nottinghamshire. N.Z. & A. - New Zealand & Australian. N.Z.M.R. - New Zealand Mounted Rifles. |
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O. O. - Operations. O.B. - Order of Battle. Offrs. - Officers. O.S. - Ordnance Services. opp. - opposite. O.R. - Other Ranks. Oxf. - Oxfordshire. O. & B.L.I. - Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. |
P. (P.) - (Pioneers). pdr. - -pounder. Pemb. - Pembrokeshire. P.E. - Peace Establishment. Pltn. (Pltns.) - Platoon (Platoons). P.P.C.L.I. - Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. Port. - Portuguese. P.O. Rif. - Post Office Rifles. Provl. - Provisional. P.W.O. - Prince of Wales's Own. |
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Q. Q.-F. - Quick-Firer. Q.M.-G. - Quartermaster-General. Q.O. - Queen's Own. Q.O.O. - Hsrs. - Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars. Q.O.R.R. Staff. Yeo. - Queen's Own Royal Regiment, Staffordshire Yeomanry. Q.O.R.W.K. - Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment). Queen's - Queens (Royal West Surrey Regiment). Q.V. Rif. - Queen Victoria's Rifles. Q.W. Rif. - Queen's Westminster Rifles. |
R. R. - Royal. R.A.F. - Royal Air Force. R.A.S.C. - Royal Army Service Corps. R.B. - Rifle Brigade. R. Berks. - Royal Berkshire Regiment. R. Cdn. H.A. Bde. - Royal Canadian Horse Artillery Brigade. R.D.F. - Royal Dublin Fusiliers. R.E. - Royal Engineers. Regt. - Regiment. R.F. - Royal Fusiliers. R.F.A. - Royal Field Artillery. R.F.C. - Royal Flying Corps. Rfts. - Reinforcements. R.G.A. - Royal Garrison Artillery. R. Guern. L.I. - Royal Guernsey. Light Infantry. R.H.A. - Royal Horse Artillery. R.H.G. - Royal Horse Guards. Rid. - Riding. R. Innis. F. - Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. R. Ir. F. - Royal Irish Fusiliers. R. Irish Regt. - Royal Irish Regiment. R. Ir. Rif. - Royal Irish Rifles. R.M. - Royal Marines. R.M.A. - Royal Marines Artillery. R.M.F. - Royal Munster Fusiliers. R.M.L.I. - Royal Marines Light Infantry. R.M.M.C. - Regiment mixte de marche de Cavalerie. R.N.A.C.D. - Royal Naval Armoured Car Division. R.N.D. - Royal Naval Division. R.N.Div. - Royal Naval Division. R. Scots. - Royal Scots. (Lothian Regiment). R.Sec. - Right Section. R.S.F. - Royal Scots Fusiliers. R. Suss. - Royal Sussex Regiment. R.W. - Royal Warrant. R. War. Royal Warwickshire Regiment. R.W.F. - Royal Welsh Fusiliers. R.W.K. - Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment). |
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S. S. - South; or Southern. SA. or S. AFR. - South Africa. S.A.A. Sec. - Small-Arm-Ammunition Section. S.B. - Siege Battery. S.B.A.C. - Siege Battery Ammunition Column. S. & M. - Sappers & Miners. S. & T. - Supply & Transport. S.S.O. - Senior Staff Officer. S.W.B. - South Wales Borderers. S.Afr. - South African. Sco. Rif. - The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles). Sea.H. - Seaforth Highlanders. Sec..or Secn. - Section. Ser. - Service. S.G. - Scots Guards. Sher. For. - Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire Regiment). Sig. -Signals. S. Irish H. - South Irish Hussars. S. Lancs. - South Lancashire Regiment. Som. L.I. - Somerset Light Infantry. Sqdn. - Squadron. Stn. - Station. Suff. - Suffolk Regiment. |
T. T.A. - Territorial Army. T.C. - Training Cadre. T. & S Coln. - Transport & Supply Column. Tempy. - Temporary. Terrtl. - Territorial. T.F. - Territorial Force. T.M. - Trench Mortar. T.M. Bty. - Trench Mortar Battery. Trp. - Troop. Tpt. - Transport. |
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U. U.K. - United Kingdom. |
V. V.S. - Veterinary Section. Vety. - Veterinary. |
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W. W. - West; or Western. War. - Warwickshire Regiment. W.E. - War Establishment. Welsh. - Welsh Regiment. Westld.&Cumbld. Yeo. - Westmorland and Cumberland Yeomanry. W.G. - Welsh Guards. Wh. - Whippets (Light Tanks). Wilts. - Wiltshire Regiment. Worc. - Worcestershire Regiment. w. or wd. - wounded. W. Rid. - West Riding. W. York. - West Yorkshire Regiment. |
X. |
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Y. Y. & L. - York & Lancaster Regiment. Yeo. - Yeomanry. |
Z. |




