G l o s s a r y

[in the course of development – add any you think fit]

 

 

Ack Ack                        Anti-aircraft fire

 

AOC                Army Officer Commanding?

                        (Not current usage. Now means Air Officer Commanding)

 

ASC                        Army Service Corps

                        (Later ‘Royal’ Association; later Royal Corps of Logistics)

 

AT                        ?Ammunition Transport                                  Please confirm

 

Banda                        A hut

 

Billingsgate                        London fish market

 

Blighty                        Affectionate name for England, from Hindi bilalati

 

Boche                        Derogatory term for the Germans

 

BQMS                        Quartermaster Sergeant                         See 29.7.18  ?’B’

 

Cars                        Trams (local usage)

 

Category Man                        ? refused further active service    See 20.2.18

 

CO                        Commanding Officer

 

CRA                        Suffix to person’s name. What is it?         See 2.7.17

 

Crescents                        Malarial deformed red blood cells

 

Dixies                        Large cooking utensils. ‘Dixie can’ from Hindi degci 

 

Fag                        Cigarette

 

Fritz                        Derogatory term for the Germans

 

Froggies                        French people

 

FWD                        Four wheel drive

 

GEA                        German East Africa

                        (Later Tanganyka; later Tanzania)

 

GI                        Instructors of Gunnery

 

Glass                           Barometer/thermometer. 

                        All temperatures quoted are in degrees Fahrenheit

 

GOC                        General Officer Commanding

 

GOC  RA                        General Officer Commanding – Royal Artillery

 

Grain               Old imperial measure of weight, equal to a grain of rice or about 1/7000 kilogram
In 2008 Peter.Gilles@atk.com pointed out it should be of a pound, not kg (454gm)

 

GRO                        ?General routine/regional/regimental Order   See 26.1.17

 

Half Crown                        Pre-decimal (1971) coin of 12½p.value, 32mm.in diameter

 

HE                        High Explosive

 

HMT                        His Majesty’s Troopship 

 

HS                        Hospital ship

 

Hun                        Derogatory term for the Germans

 

Jerry                        Derogatory term for the Germans

 

KUR                        Kenya Uganda Railway

 

Mealy meal                        Ground Indian corn

 

MO                        Medical Officer

 

NCO                        Non-Commissioned Officer (up to and including

                        Warrant Officer)

 

OC                        Officer Commanding

 

Our ‘friends’                        Derogatory term for the Germans

 

Outspan          To camp.  A Boer word referring to the unhitching of oxen or horses from trek waggon 

QM                        Quartermaster

 

Pictures, the                        The cinema

 

Pompey                        Portsmouth

 

Puggarees From the Hindi.  It refers to a light scarf worn around the hat to keep the sun off

 

Punkah Wallah                        Native fan operator

 

Puttees                        Leg bindings

 

RAMC                        Royal Army Medical Corps

 

RE                        Royal Engineers

 

RFA                        Royal Field Artillery

 

RGA                        Royal Garrison Artillery

 

RNAS                        Royal Navy Air Service (later Fleet Air Arm)

 

RTO                        Rail Transport Officer

 

SAFA                        South African Field Artillery

 

Schemes                      Manoeuvres

 

Shilling                        Pre-decimal (1971) of  5p. value, xx mm. diameter

 

SOS                             ?Shoot on Sight

 

SM                              Sergeant Major

 

Smoker                       Civilian word for a smoking concert.  A get-together usually in a pub with entertainment laid on.  Usually all-male

 

Swell                            A sartorially elegant man.

 

 

Tommy                        Tommy Atkins – the archetypal British soldier (name used in the specimen pay book)

 

Topee                          A pith helmet for protection against the sun

 

Wire                            Telegram