Regiments etc

AOC – Army Ordnance Corps

ASC – Army Service Corps

KORL – King’s Own Royal Lancasters

KOSB – King’s Own Scottish Borderers

KRRC – King’s Royal Rifle Corps

MGC – Machine Gun Corps

OBLI – Oxfordshire & Buckingshire Light Infantry

RA – Royal Artillery

RAMC – Royal Army Medical Corps

RE – Royal Engineers

RFA – Royal Field Artillery

RFC – Royal Flying Corps

RGA – Royal Garrison Artillery

RHA – Royal Horse Artillery

RMLI – Royal Marines Light Infantry

RN – Royal Navy

RNAS – Royal Navy Air Service

RNVR – Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve

RWF – Royal Welch Fusiliers

Zouaves – French/North African light infantry

Medals, Ranks & Distinctions etc.

ADC – Aide-de-Camp (an officer assigned to be a personal assistant of a senior officer)

Adjutant – the officer (usually a Capt/Lieut) in charge of a Regiment’s administration

DFC – Distinguished Flying Cross        

DSO – Distinguished Service Order

MC – Military Cross

VC – Victoria Cross

Military terms & Slang

See http://www.worldwar1.com/heritage/wordswar.htm for a good list of common words/terms.

Thomas Atkins – the English Tommy (soldier)

Eatables – Tommy slang for the French town of Etaples

Frowse – sit around in an overheated room

Kamerad – German for a comrade

Parados – the rear wall of a trench

Parapet – the front wall of a trench

Poilu – French infantryman

Stand To – short for ‘Stand To Arms’ when soldiers stood on the fire step ready to repel an attack at dawn/dusk

Stodging – over-eating

John Willies – type of artillery shell

Other terms

Beak – Eton term for a teacher.

EFC – Expeditionary Forces Canteen

HMT – Hired Military Transport (ship)

KIA – Killed in action

OC – Officer Commanding

OD – Old Dragon (old boys/girls of the OPS)

OP – Observation Post

OPS – Oxford Preparatory School

OTC – Officer Training Corps

RTO – Rail Transport Officer

UPS – University & Public School

WO – War Office

YMCA – Young Men’s Christian Association