A guide to abbreviations in the British Army, Honourable Artillery Company records

The British Army, Honourable Artillery Company records have a large amount of abbreviations and military jargon. To help you get the most from the records we have created a list of abbreviations for you to consult. The following guide might help with those most commonly found.

Abbreviation Definition
* (In front of name) Went overseas with the HAC
§ Awarded 1914 Star or 1914/15 Star
(In front of name) Went overseas with another unit of the armed forces (usually because of receiving a commission)
101 or 104101st Provisional Battalion or 104th Provisional Battalion
  
1 or 2 or 3 1st Battalion, 2nd Battalion or 3rd [Reserve] Battalion [HAC]. Note that Each of the three infantry battalions had four numbered companies (Nos 1-4 Company) and these are sometimes referred to as corresponding lettered companies (A-D Company) in HAC records (or histories)
1/1 or 2/1 or 3/1 1st Battalion, No. 1 [or A] Company [similar for 2nd and 3rd Bns] [HAC]
1/2 or 2/2 or 3/2 (or 1-2 and so on)1st Battalion, No. 2 [or B] Company [similar for 2nd and 3rd Bns] [HAC]
1/3 or 2/3 or 3/3 (or 1-3 and so on)1st Battalion, No. 3 [or C] Company [similar for 2nd and 3rd Bns] [HAC]
1/4 or 2/4 or 3/4 (or 1-4 and so on)1st Battalion, No. 4 [or D] Company [similar for 2nd and 3rd Bns] [HAC]
18 9 14 or 1 10 16 (Dates in columnar form) These represent dates written in columnar form; sometimes two days might be represented as '24 27 10 17'; these dates usually accompany information on going overseas, wounding, to hospital etc.
1-A or 1/A or 1/aA Battery [HAC]
1-B or 1/B or 1/bB Battery [HAC]
1st Reserve Bn3rd [or Reserve] Battalion [HAC]
2/LtSecond Lieutenant
20 5 17 lf 29 5 17 [with columnar dates]Reports from hospital on 20 May 1917 and given leave until 29 May 1917
20 Man. R20th Bn, Manchester Regt
24.9.14 [as a 'long' date]Dates written straight across at the beginning of a man's entry in the RNRs represent the date at which he joined the HAC and was assigned his regimental number; this 'long' date might also have extra day and month numbers below or above it
2-A or 2/A or 2/a2/A Battery [HAC]
2-B or 2/B or 2/b2/B Battery [HAC]
2nd icSecond in Command
392 XVIDischarged in consequence of being no longer physically fit for War Service' (paragraph 392 XVI King's Regulations)
3A or 3a 3/A Battery [later the Reserve Battery] [HAC]
3B or 3b3/B Battery [later the Reserve Battery] [HAC]
AA Battery [HAC]
A/Acting [with rank]
A/Capt.Acting Captain
AdjtAdjutant
adm.Admitted [to the HAC civil side]
Amb.Ambulance
AO no. Army Order no.
APMActing Provost Marshal
Art.Artillery
atd or attdAttached
BB Battery [HAC]
Bapt.Baptist
BdeBrigade
BdrBombardier
BEFBritish Expeditionary Force
BnBattalion
Bomb. Sch.Bombing School
Bright.Brighton
BttyBattery
Bty Battery
CCorporal
C de GCroix de Guerre
C of E Church of England
Cad. S. KildareCadet School, Kildare [Ireland]
Calthorp [in columnar form]Calthorpe Steet Depot
Cam. Cambridge
Capt.Captain
Cav.Cavalry
CEChurch of England
Chris. Sc.Christian Scientist
Col Colonel
Com.Commissioned [into an HAC unit or another unit]
Cong.Congregationalist
Corp.Corporal
CoyCompany
Cpl Corporal
'Crossed swords' symbol [with or without a columnar date]Went with original unit to Front; see also 'F' below
  
CSCadet School
CSMCompany Sergeant Major
CUCadet Unit
DDraft
DAGDeputy Adjutant-General
DCMDistinguished Conduct Medal
DemDemobilised
Dep.Depot
DFCDistinguished Flying Cross
Dis.Discharged
Dis. Com.Discharged to commission in another regiment/unit
DoWDied of Wounds
DSODistinguished Service Order
DvrDriver
EEngland
ECU [sometimes with date in columnar form]To Cadet School or Unit in England, as in '16 3 17 ECU'= 'to England 16 March 1917 to join Cadet School'
Exp. Expeditionary
FFather - as next of kin with religion, e.g. F CofE - 'father is next of kin, religion is Church of England'
FField [as in regiment]
F [with columnar date]Was drafted overseas from an HAC reserve unit to to join an HAC operational unit serving at the Front
FceForce
gaz.Gazetted, i.e. commission published in the London Gazette
Gen.General
Gnr      Gunner  
GrGunner
GSWGun-shot wounds
H [sometimes with date in columnar form]To hospital
HAHorse Artillery [HAC]
HACHonourable Artillery Company
HBHousehold Brigade
HE [sometimes with date in columnar form]To hospital, England
Hon.Honourable
HowrHowitzer
HQHeadquarters
IInvalided
IE [sometimes with date in columnar form]Invalided, to England
Imp. Camel CorpsImperial Camel Corps
Inf.Infantry
InstrInstructor
KDead or missing
KCBKnight Commander of the Bath
KiAKilled in Action
KRRCKing's Royal Rifle Corps
Ks 392See 392 XVI
KSLIKing's Shropshire Light Infantry
L/Lance [as in rank]
L/Bdr Lance/Bombardier
L/Cpl Lance Corporal 
L/Sgt Lance/Sergeant
LCLance Corporal
LCD Seaf.London Command Depot at Seaford [Sussex]
LDLondon District
LDLCLondon District Labour Centre
LEELondon Electrical Engineers
LGLondon Gazette
LHE [in columnar form]In hospital whilst on leave in England
Lt Lieutenant
Lt-Col     Lieutenant-Colonel
Lt-Gen. Lieutenant-General
MMother - as next of kin with religion, e.g. 'M CofE' - 'mother is next of kin, religion is Church of England'
M [sometimes with date in columnar form]Missing
M. in Desp. Mentioned in Despatches
Maj.Major
Maj.-Gen.  Major-General
Man. R.Manchester Regiment
MBEMember of the Order of the British Empire
MCMilitary Cross
Meth.Methodist
MGC Bisley [or other locations]Machine Gun School at Bisley [or other locations]
MiDMentioned in Despatches
MinDMentioned in Despatches
MMMilitary Medal
MMB‘Major Mayhew’s Book’ [HAC’s 1st Bn Register]
NCONon-Commissioned Officer
No.Number
NrNear
OCOfficer Cadet
OCBOfficer Cadet Battalion
OffrOfficer
Plat.Platoon
POW [in columnar form]Prisoner of War
Presby or Pres.Presbyterian
PtePrivate
QMQuartermaster [officer rank]
R Berks.Royal Berkshire Regiment
R W Kent RRoyal West Kent Regt
R War. RRoyal Warickshire Regt
R W Surrey RRoyal West Surrey Regt
R. Welsh Fus.Regiment of Royal Welsh Fusiliers
RA ExeterOfficers Royal Artillery School, Exeter
RA Select. St JWdRoyal Artillery Officers Selection, St John's Wood
RBReserve Battery [HAC]
RCRoman Catholic
RdRoad
RDC [in columnar form]Royal Defence Corps
RERoyal Engineers
RE SignalsRoyal Engineers Signals
RegtRegiment
RFARoyal Field Artillery
RFCRoyal Flying Corps
RFC Denh.Royal Flying Corps, Denham
RGARoyal Garrison Artillery
RNRoyal Navy
RS [in columnar form]Royal Scots
RyRailway
SSick
SSergeant
S Wales BdrsSouth Wales Borderers
S/Sgt or S/SjtStaff Sergeant
SB309th (HAC) Siege Battery RGA [HAC]
SESouth East
SE [sometimes with date in columnar form]Sick, to England
Sgt Sergeant
Sh shShell shock
Sherwood For.Sherwood Foresters
sicThus' [Latin]
SjtSerjeant
Sp. Res.Special Reserve [of officers]
SprSapper
SSSignal Section [?]
StSaint
St JWdSt John's Wood
Sub.-LtSubordinate Lieutenant [junior naval rank]
T/Temporary [with rank]
Tanks [in columnar form]Tank Regiment
TD  Territorial Decoration
Temp.Temporary
TM or TMB or TM ByTrench Mortar Battery
TRTraining Reserve
VCVictoria Cross
WWife [as next of kin with religion], e.g. 'W RC' - 'wife is next of kin, religion is Roman Catholic'
W [sometimes with date in columnar form]Wounded
WE [sometimes with date in columnar form]Wounded, to England
Wes or WeslyWesleyan
WH [sometimes with date in columnar form] Wounded and in hospital
WO 1st ClassWarrant Officer First Class
WO ListWar Office List