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World War 1 to 2008 - Casualty Lists of the Royal Navy and Dominion Navies
Researched & compiled by Don Kindell

 

ABBREVIATIONS

 

Edited by Gordon Smith, Naval-History.Net

Trimmer Charles Azzopardi MMR, HMS Louvain, DOW 21 January 1918 (Marianne Potts, click to enlarge)

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1/1

e.g. 1/1 Maritime Regt or 1st Battery of 1st Regiment

 

1c

1st class

 

2c

2nd class

 

3c

3rd class

 

(A)

Air Branch (officer)

 

(A)

Air Frame (rating)

 

AA

anti-aircraft

  AB Able Seaman

 

Act/

Acting

 

ADM

Admiralty (document)

 

AEW

airborne early warning

 

AFU

Advanced Flying Unit

 

(AR)

(Radio rating)

 

A/S

anti-submarine

 

(AW)

(Radio rating)

 

Bantie

South African rating

 

Bhandary

Royal Indian Navy rating

 

BVLS

“British Vessels Lost at Sea 1939-1945”, HMSO

 

BYMS

British Yard Minesweeper (US-built)

 

BPD

Boom Patrol Detachment

 

(Ch)

Chatham (after service number)

 

CO

commanding officer

  CPO Chief Petty Officer

 

CWGC

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

 

CWO

Commissioned Warrant Officer

 

(D)

Dentist

  DAMS Defensively Armed Merchant Ships (WW1)

 

DEMS

Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships (WW2)

 

DFC

Distinguished Flying Cross

 

DOI

died of injuries

 

DOW

died of wounds

 

DOWS

died on war service

 

DSC

Distinguished Service Cross

 

DSM

Distinguished Service Medal

 

DSO

Distinguished Service Order

 

Du

Dutch

 

(E)

Engineering Branch (officer)

 

(E)

Engines (Air Mechanic rating)

 

EFTS

Elementary Flight Training School

 

FAA

Fleet Air Arm

 

FPB

fast patrol boat

 

FIS

Flight Instructor School

 

GM

George Medal

 

Gr

Greece

 

HBL

Home Based Ledger, i.e. miscellaneous personnel

  (HG) Higher Grade - World War 1

 

HKRNVR

Hong Kong RNVR

 

HMCG

His Majesty’s Coast Guard

 

HQ

Headquarters

 

HS

hospital ship

  i/c in charge

 

IED

improvised explosive device

  Immed Cl Immediate Class (World War 1)

 

ITC

Infantry Training Command (Royal Marines)

 

jg

Junior Grade Lieutenant, US Navy

 

Krooman

African seaman, including South Africa

 

(L)

Electrical (rating)

 

LA

Light Assault (Royal Marines)

 

Lascar

general term for a sailor from the Indian Ocean area, mainly India, serving on British ship

 

LBE

landing barge, emergency repair

 

LBO

landing barge, oiler

 

LBV

landing barge vehicle

 

LBV(M)

landing barge vehicle (motorised) i.e. not a dumb barge

 

LBW

landing barge, water

 

LCA

landing craft assault

 

LCF

landing craft flak

 

LCF(L)

landing craft flak (large)

 

LCG(L)

landing craft gun (large)

 

LCH

landing craft headquarters

 

LCI(L)

landing craft infantry (large)

 

LCI(M)

landing craft infantry (medium)

 

LCM

landing craft mechanised

 

LCOCU

Landing Craft Obstacle Clearance Unit

 

LCP

landing craft personnel

 

LCP(L)

landing craft personnel (large)

 

LCP(R)

landing craft personnel (ramped)

 

LCQ

landing craft administration

 

LCS(L)

landing craft support (large)

 

LCS(M)

landing craft support (medium)

 

LCT

landing craft tank

 

LCT(A)

landing craft tank (armoured

 

LCT(R)

landing craft tank (rocket)

 

LCU

landing craft, utility

 

LCV

landing craft vehicle

 

LCVP

landing craft vehicle/personnel

 

LNO

Leading Naval Officer

  LS Leading Seaman

 

LSE(LC)

landing ship emergency repair (Landing Craft), ex-LST

 

LSL

landing ship logistics

 

LST

landing ship tank

 

LST(C)

landing ship tank (carrier)

  MAA Master-at-Arms

 

MA/SB

motor anti-submarine boat

 

MBE

Member of the British Empire

 

MBMU

Motor Boat Maintenance Unit

 

MC

Military Cross

 

Met

Meteorological

  MFA mercantile fleet auxiliary

 

MFV

motor fishing vessel

 

MFPV

motor fishing patrol vessel

 

MGB

motor gun boat

 

ML

motor launch

  MMR Mercantile Marine Reserve

 

MMS

motor minesweeper

 

MN

Merchant Navy

 

MNBDO

Marine Naval Base Defence Organisation

 

MONAB

Mobile Naval Air Base (base name prefix is “Nab”)

 

MPD

missing presumed dead

 

MPK

missing presumed killed

  MT Motor Tanker

 

MTB

motor torpedo boat

 

MV

motor vessel

 

NAP

Naval Auxiliary Patrol

 

NAPS

Naval Auxiliary Patrol Service

 

NAS

Naval Air Station

 

NCSO

Naval Chief Staff Officer

 

NDF

Naval Defence Force

 

NDP

Naval Dockyard Police

 

NID

Naval Intelligence Division

 

No

Norwegian

  (NS) World War 1 rank abbreviation - not known

 

NVF

Naval Volunteer Force

 

NZD

New Zealand Division (of the Royal Navy, preceeded formation of RNZN)

 

(O)

Officer’s Cook or Steward (rating)

 

(O)

(Aircraft) Ordnance (rating)

 

OFSI

Operational Flying School Instruction

 

O/P

on passage

 

OTU

Officer Training Unit

 

(P)

Pilot

 

Para

Parachute Regiment, British Army

 

Pens

Pensioner

 

(Ply)

Plymouth (after service number)

  PO Petty Officer

 

(Po)

Polish (after ship)

 

(Po)

Portsmouth (after service number)

 

PS

Patrol Service

 

PWSS

Port War Signal Station

 

Py/

Probationary

 

QARNNSR

Queen Alexander’s Royal Naval Nursing Service Reserve

 

QGM

Queen’s Gallantry Medal

 

RA

Royal Artillery (British Army)

 

RAF

Royal Air Force

 

RAFR

Royal Australian Fleet Reserve

 

RAMC

Royal Army Medical Corps

 

RAN

Royal Australian Navy

 

RANR

Royal Australian Naval Reserve

 

RANVR

Royal Australian Naval Volunteer Reserve

 

RCN

Royal Canadian Navy

 

RCNC

Royal Corps of Naval Constructors

 

RCNR

Royal Canadian Naval Reserve

 

RCNVR

Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve

 

RDF

radio direction finding/radar operator – not a rating at this time (World War 2)

 

RE

Royal Engineers (British Army)

 

Regt

Regiment

  ret Retired

 

RFA

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

  RFC Royal Flying Corps

 

RFR

Royal Fleet Reserve

  RFR A, B, C, IC RFR A, men in receipt of a life pension from RN;  RFR B, men who served in RN but were not in receipt of a pension; RFR C, artisan ratings who have passed through the dockyards as boy apprentices for the RN;  RFR IC,  Immediate Class, similar to B, but could be called up for service without a Royal Proclamation.

 

RIM

Royal Indian Marine

  RIN Royal Indian Navy

 

RINR

Royal Indian Naval Reserve

 

RM

Royal Marines

 

RMA

Royal Marine Artillery (World War 1)

 

RMB

Royal Marine Band

 

RME

Royal Marine Engineer

 

RMLI

Royal Marine Light Infantry (World War 1)

 

RMPSR

Royal Marine Police Special Reserve

  RMR Royal Marine Reserve

 

RNAS

Royal Naval Air Station or Service

 

RNASBR

Royal Navy Auxiliary Sick Berth Reserve

  RNCR Royal Naval Canadian Reserve (World War 1)
  RNCVR Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve (World War 1)

 

RND

Royal Naval Division (World War 1)

 

RNEC

Royal Naval Engineering College

 

RNethN or RNN

Royal Netherlands or Dutch Navy

 

RNorN

Royal Norwegian Navy

 

RNPS

Royal Naval Patrol Service

 

RNR

Royal Naval Reserve

 

RNSR

Royal Naval Special or Supplementary Reserve

 

RNVR

Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve

 

RNV(W)R

Royal Naval Volunteer (Wireless) Reserve

 

ROK

Republic of Korea

 

(S)

Steward (rating)

 

(S)

Supply (officer)

 

SA

South Africa

 

SANF

South African Naval Force

 

SAR

sea-air rescue

 

SBS

Special Boat Service (Royal Marines)

 

SCO

sonar (asdic) control operator - not a rating at this time

 

Seacunny

Royal Indian Navy rating

 

Seedie

locally engaged crew member mostly on the East Africa Station. 

 

Serang

Royal Indian Navy rating

 

SFTS

Service Flight Training School

 

SGB

Steam gun boat

 

SOE

Special Operations Executive

 

Sp Br

Special Branch - intelligence

 

Sqn

Squadron

 

SS

Special Service (Royal Marines)

 

SS

steamship

 

SS

Straits Settlements (part of modern Malaysia)

  ST Steam Tanker

 

Sukhani

Royal Indian Navy rating

 

(T)

Torpedo (specialist)

 

T.124

merchant seaman serving under Naval Articles, Naval Officers and subjecting them to naval discipline (number of the form)

 

Tindal

Royal Indian Navy rating (may be found spelt Tendal)

 

Topass

Royal Indian Navy rating

 

Ty/

Temporary

 

TE

Training Establishment

 

TS

Training Ship

 

TU

Training Unit

 

UXB

unexploded bomb

 

VAD

Voluntary Aid Detachment (nurses and support staff)

 

VRA

Volunteer Reserve Airman

 

WO

Warrant Officer

 

WRNS

Women’s Royal Naval Service

 

YMS

Yard Minesweeper, US-built

 
 

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revised 28/8/11