This index to abbreviations, likely to be found on War Memorials throughout the Region, is separated into Regiments/Units, Medals/Awards and Ranks.
If you are aware of any abbreviation on a North East War Memorial not covered by this list, please let us know, using the e-mail address enquiries@newmp.org.uk and quoting “Abbreviations” in the subject line.
We would then investigate the entry concerned, attempt to identify the meaning of the abbreviation, and include it in this list – which is very much a “work in progress”.
Regiments & Units
A. & S. Hldrs - Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders
A. & S.H. - Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders
A.A.N.S. - Army Auxiliary Nursing Service
A.C.C - Army Cyclist Corps
A.E.C. - Army Education Corps
A.E.F. – Australian Expeditionary Force
A.F.S. - Auxiliary Fire Service
A.I.F. - Australian Imperial Force
A.L.H. - Australian Light Horse
A.O.C. - Army Ordnance Corps
A.P.C. - Army Pay Corps
A.P.D. - Army Pay Department
A.P.T.C. - Army Physical Training Corps
A.R.P. – Air Raid Precautions
A.S.C. - Army Service Corps
A.S.C.(M.T.) - Army Service Corps (Motor Transport)
A.S.H. - Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders
A.T.S. - Auxiliary Territorial Service
A.V.C. - Army Veterinary Corps
A.Y. - Ayrshire Yeomanry
ANZAC - Australian & New Zealand Army Corps
Argylls - Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders
Batt - Battery
Batt or Bn. - Battalion
B.R. - Border Regiment
B.R.C.S. - British Red Cross Society
B.W. - Royal Highlanders (Black Watch)
B.W.I.R. - British West Indies Regiment
C.C. - Canadian Contingent (Note: G.G. may look similar on memorials)
C.D. – Civil Defence
C.E.F. - Canadian Expeditionary Force
C.F.A. - Canadian Field Artillery
C.F.C. - Canadian Forestry Corps
C.G. - Coldstream Guards
C.L.H. - Canadian Light Horse
C.L.Y. - City of London Yeomanry
C.M.P. - Corps of Military Police
C.M.R. - Canadian Mounted Rifles
C.R. - Connaught Rangers
Cam H. - Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
Cam Hldrs - Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
Cameronians - Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
Camerons - Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
Can - Canadians
Can F.S. - Canadian Fire Service
D.C.L.I. - Duke of Cornwalls Light Infantry
D.F. - Royal Dublin Fusiliers
D.G. - Dragoon Guards Div. - Division
D.L.I. - Durham Light Infantry
D.W.R. - Duke of Wellingtons Regiment
DoWtns - Duke of Wellingtons Regiment
E.S.R. - East Surrey Regiment
E.Y.R. - East Yorkshire Regiment
F & F Yeo. - Fife & Forfar Yeomanry
F.A.A - Fleet Air Arm
F.A.N.Y. - First Aid Nursing Yeomanry Corps
F.F. - Frontier Force (Indian Army)
G.G - Grenadier Guards
G.H. - Gordon Highlanders
G.M.G.R. - Guards Machine Gun Regiment
G.P.R - Glider Pilot Regiment
G.Y. - Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry
Gord. Hldrs - Gordon Highlanders
Gordons - Gordon Highlanders
H.A.C. - Honourable Artillery Company
H.C.B. - Highland Cyclist Battalion
H.G. - Home Guard
H.K.V.D.C - Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps
H.L.I. - Highland Light Infantry
H.M.C.G. - His Majesty's Coast Guard
H.M.D - His Majesty's Drifter
H.M.S. - His Majesty's Ship
H.M.T. - His Majesty's Transport
H.M.T. - His Majesty's Trawler
Ind. - Indian Army
K.A.R. - King's African Rifles
K.D.G. - Kings Dragoon Guards
K.E.H. - King Edwards Horse
K.O.S.B. - Kings Own Scottish Borderers
K.O.Y.L.I. - King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry
K.R.R. - Kings Royal Rifle Corps
K.R.R.C. - Kings Royal Rifle Corps
K.S.L.I. - King's Shropshire Light Infantry
L & B.H. - Lothian & Border Horse
LCA. - Landing Craft Assault
LCF. - Landing Craft Flak
LCS - Landing Craft Support
LCS - Landing Craft Small
LCT. - Landing Craft Tank
LCH. - Landing Craft Hedgerow or Hospital
LCI - Landing Craft Infantry (L Large S Small)
L.D.V. - Local Defence Volunteers
L.F. - Lancashire Fusiliers
L.G. - Life Guards
L.I. - Light Infantry
L.N.L.R. - Loyal North Lancashire Regiment
L.R. - London Regiment
LSiI - Landing Ship Infantry (L Large S Small)
L.S. - Lovat Scouts
L.S. - London Scottish
L.Y. - Lanarkshire Yeomanry
Lon. Scot. - London Scottish
Lond. R. - London Regiment
Lovats - Lovat Scouts
M.F.A. - Mercantile Fleet Auxiliary
M.F.P. - Military Foot Police
M.G.C. - Machine Gun Corps
M.M. - Merchant Marine
M.M.P. - Military Mounted Police
M.M.R. - Mercantile Marine Reserve
M.N. - Merchant Navy
M.P. - Military Police
M.T. - Motor Transport
M.T.B. - Motor Torpedo Boat
M.V. - Motor Vessel
N.A.A.F.I. - Navy, Army and Air Force Institute
N.C.B. - Northern Cyclist Battalion (based in Northumberland)
N.F. - Northumberland Fusiliers
N.I.H. - North Irish Horse
N.Z. - New Zealand
N.Z.E.F. - New Zealand Expeditionary Force
N.Z.I.F. - New Zealanders
O & B.L.I. - Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
O.C. - Ordnance Corps
O.T.C. - Officer Training Corps
P.P.C.L.I. - Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
Para. - Parachute Regiment
Q.A.I.M.N.S. - Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service
Q.A.I.M.N.S.R. - Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service Reserve
Q.A.R.A.N.C. - Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps
Q.A.R.N.N.S. - Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service
Q.M.A.A.C. - Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps
Q.O.C.H - Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
Q.O.R.G.Y - Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry
R Hldrs - Royal Highlanders (Black Watch)
R.Innis.Fus. - Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
R.A. - Royal Artillery
R.A. Ch. D - Royal Army Chaplains Department
R.A.A.F - Royal Australian Air Force
R.A.C. - Royal Armoured Corps
R.A.F. - Royal Air Force
R.A.F.V.R. - Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
R.A.M.C. - Royal Army Medical Corps
R.A.N. - Royal Australian Navy
R.A.O.C. - Royal Army Ordnance Corps
R.A.P.C. - Royal Army Pay Corps
R.A.R. - Royal Australian Regiment
R.A.S.C. - Royal Army Service Corps
R.A.V.C. - Royal Army Veterinary Corps
R.Aus.R. - Royal Australian Regiment
R.C.A.F. - Royal Canadian Air Force
R.C.N. - Royal Canadian Navy
R.C.N.V.R. - Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve
R.C.S. - Royal Corps of Signals
R.D.C. - Royal Defence Corps
R.D.F. - Royal Dublin Fusiliers
R.D.Fus - Royal Dublin Fusiliers
R.E. - Royal Engineers Regt. - Regiment
R.F. - Royal Fusiliers
R.F.A. - Royal Field Artillery or Royal Fleet Auxiliary
R.F.C. - Royal Flying Corps
R.F.R. - Royal Fleet Reserve
R.G.A. - Royal Garrison Artillery
R.H - Royal Highlanders (Black Watch)
R.H.A. - Royal Horse Artillery
R.H.G. - Royal Horse Guards
R.H.R. - Royal Highlanders (Black Watch)
R.I.N. - Royal Indian Navy
R.I.R. - Royal Irish Rifles
R.M. - Royal Marines
R.M.A. - Royal Marine Artillery
R.M.B. - Royal Marine Band
R.M.E. - Royal Marine Engineers
R.M.F - Royal Munster Fusiliers
R.M.L.I. - Royal Marine Light Infantry
R.M.S.M. - Royal Marine Submarine Miners
R.N. - Royal Navy
R.N.A.S. - Royal Naval Air Service
R.N.C.V.R. - Royal Navy Canadian Volunteer Reserve
R.N.D. - Royal Naval Division
R.N.F. - Royal Northumberland Fusiliers
R.N.M.W.S. - Royal Navy Mine Watching Service
R.N.P.S. - Royal Naval Patrol Service
R.N.R. - Royal Naval Reserve
R.N.R.T. - Royal Naval Reserve Trawler Section (WW1, forerunner of RNPS)
R.N.V.R. - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
R.O.C. - Royal Observer Corps
R.R. OF CAV - Reserve Regiment of Cavalry
R.S. - Royal Scots
R.Scots - Royal Scots
R.S.F. - Royal Scots Fusiliers
R.S.Fus. - Royal Scots Fusiliers
R.T.R - Royal Tank Regiment
R.U.R. - Royal Ulster Rifles
R.W.Kents - Royal West Kent Regiment
R.War.R. - Royal Warwickshire Regiment
Rif. Brig. - Rifle Brigade
S.A.I. - South African Infantry
S.A.E. - South African Engineers (Corps)
S.A.S - Special Air Service
S.G. - Scots Guards
S.H. - Seaforth Highlanders
S.H. - Scottish Horse
S.R. - Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
S.S. - Steam Ship
Sco. H. - Scottish Horse
Sco Hse - Scottish Horse
Sco Rif - Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
Sco. Gds. - Scots Guards
Sea. H. - Seaforth Highlanders
Sea. Hldrs - Seaforth Highlanders
Seaforths - Seaforth Highlanders
T.A.N.S. - Territorial Army Nursing Service
T.C. - Tank Corps or Timber Corps
Tanks - Tank Corps
V.A.D. - Voluntary Aid Detachment
W.A.A.F - Women's Auxiliary Air Force
W.A.R. - West Africa Regiment
W.G. - Welsh Guards
W.I.R. - West India Regiment
W.L.A. – Women’s Land Army
W.R.N.S - Women’s Royal Naval Service
W.R.V.S. – Women’s Royal Voluntary Service
Y & L.R. - York and Lancaster Regiment
W.Y.R. - West Yorkshire Regiment
Yeo. - Yeomanry
Medals & Awards
A.F.C - Air Force Cross
C.B.E. - Commander of the Order of the British Empire
C.d.G. - Croix de Guerre
D.C.M. - Distinguished Conduct Medal
D.F.C. - Distinguished Flying Cross
D.F.M - Distinguished Flying Medal
D.S.C. - Distinguished Service Cross
D.S.M. - Distinguished Service Medal
D.S.O. - Distinguished Service Order
G.C. - George Cross
G.M. - George Medal
K.B.E. - Knight of the Order of the British Empire
M.B.E. - Member of the Order of the British Empire
M.C. - Military Cross
M.D. – Mentioned in Despatches
M.M. - Military Medal
Med. Mil. - Medaille Militaire
O.B.E. - Officer of the Order of the British Empire
V.C. - Victoria Cross
Ranks
2 Lt - Second Lieutenant
2/Lt - Second Lieutenant
A.B. - Able-bodied Seaman
A.C.1 - Aircraftman First Class
A.C.2 - Aircraftman Second Class
A.G. - Air Gunner
Bdsm –Bandsman Bom – Bombardier (Artilleryman – equivalent to Corporal)