Lists of abbreviations used on Commonwealth World War I medals

When a World War I medal was issued to a member of Commonwealth forces, it was issued with a Service Number, Rank, Name and Regiment.^{[citation needed]} This information should be on every medal that was issued during the First World War.^{[citation needed]}

During World War I, there were four main medals issued: the 1914 Star, 1914-15 Star, Victory Medal, and the British War Medal.

From Left 1914-15 Star, Victory Medal, British War Medal

Service Number

From a service number it is sometimes possible to determine in which part of the army a medal holder served.^{[citation needed]} However, this is not always the case.^[1]

Abbreviations for Rank and Unit

There are many abbreviations for the rank and unit. The British National archive gives full listings of both Ranks and Units.^[2]^[3]

Medal Card Abbreviations

CRV - Certified Receipt Voucher^{[citation needed]}

Theatres Of War^{[citation needed]}

1 Western Europe
- a France and Belgium
- b Italy
2 Balkans
- a Greek Macedonia, Serbia, Bulgaria and European Turkey
- b Gallipoli (Dardanelles)
3 Russia (4–5 August 1914 to 1–2 July 1920)
4 Egypt
- a 4–5 November 1914 to 18–19 March 1916
- b 18–19 March 1916 to 31 October - 1 November 1918
5 Africa
- a East Africa, Nyasaland and Northern Rhodesia
- b South West Africa
- c Cameroon
- d Nigeria
- e Togoland
6 Asia
- a Hedjaz
- b Mesopotamia
- c Persia
- d Trans Caspia
- e South West Arabia
- f Aden
- g Frontier regions of India
- h Tsingtau
7 Australasia
- a New Britain
- b New Ireland
- c Kaiser Wilhelmland
- d Admiralty Islands
- e Nauru
- f German Samoa

Prefix letters and numbers

The following is an estimated^{[clarification needed]} list of all the Prefix Letter & Numbers (of what?).^[4]

Prefixes on medals issues to members of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force

1/ - Samoan Advance Force
2/ - Artillery
3/ - Medical Corps
4/ - Engineers
5/ - Service Corps
6/ - Canterbury Infantry
7/ - Canterbury Mounted Rifles
8/ - Otago Rifles
9/ - Otago Mounted Rifles
10/ - Wellington Rifles
11/ - Wellington Mounted Rifles
12/ - Auckland Rifles
13/ - Auckland Mounted Rifles
14/ - Army Service Corps Divisional Train
15/ - Headquarters Staff
16/ - Maori Battalion
17/ - Veterinary Corps
18/ - Chaplains Department
19/ - Samoan Relief Force, Infantry
20/ - Samoan Relief Force, Mounted Rifles
21/ - Army Pay Corps
22/ - Nursing Service
23/ - 1st Battalion, New Zealand Rifle Brigade
24/ - 2nd Battalion, New Zealand Rifle Brigade
25/ - 3rd Battalion, New Zealand Rifle Brigade
26/ - 4th Battalion, New Zealand Rifle Brigade

Prefixes on Silver War Badge

A - Australia Silver War Badge Prefix
B - Unknown Silver War Badge Prefix
I - India Silver War Badge Prefix
MN - Merchant Navy Silver War Badge Prefix
NZ - New Zealand Silver War Badge Prefix
O - Unknown Silver War Badge Prefix
RAF - Royal Air Force Silver War Badge Prefix
RM - Royal Marines Silver War Badge Prefix
RN - Royal Navy Silver War Badge Prefix
SA - South Africa Silver War Badge Prefix

Others

3/ - Seaforth Highlanders 3rd (Reserve) Battalion
3/ - Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry 3rd (Reserve) Battalion
3/ - Royal Berkshire Regiment 3rd (Reserve) Battalion
3/ - Gordon Highlanders 3rd (Reserve) Battalion
3/ - Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders 3rd (Reserve) Battalion
3/ - Royal Highlanders 3rd (Reserve) Battalion
3/ - Cameron Highlanders 3rd (Reserve) Battalion
4/ - Royal Irish Rifles 4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion
5/ - Connaught Rangers 5th (Service) Battalion
15/ - West Yorkshire Regiment 15th (Leeds Pals) Battalion

A - Army Service Corps Old Army Special Reserve
A - King's Royal Rifle Corps Early wartime recruits
A - Royal Scots Fusiliers 3rd (Reserve) Battalion
A - King's Own Scottish Borderers 3rd (Reserve) Battalion
A - Highland Light Infantry 3rd (Reserve) Battalion
A - Scottish Rifles 3rd (Reserve) Battalion
A - Army Ordnance Corps
A - Royal Fleet Reserve First period of enlistment
A (HT) - Army Service Corps Horse Transport Special Reserve
AA - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Anti-Aircraft
ARMR - Army Ordnance Corps Armourer
ASE / ASR - Army Service Corps

B - Royal Fusiliers 26th (Banker's) Battalion
B - Royal Fleet Reserve Second Period of Enlistment
B - King's Royal Rifle Corps
B - Highland Light Infantry
B - Scottish Rifles 4th (Special Reserve) Battalion
B / BZ - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Bristol Division
B - Army Service Corps Special Reserve
B (HT) - Army Service Corps Horse Transport Special Reserve TF

C - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Clyde Division
C - King's Royal Rifle Corps 16th Battalion onwards enlistment
C - Royal Fleet Reserve 3rd Period of Enlistment
C - Royal Munster Fusiliers 1st Garrison Battalion
C - Middlesex Regiment
C - Rifle Brigade
C - Royal Fleet Reserve Chatham / Royal Navy Chatham
C (MT) - Army Service Corps Mechanical Transport Special Reserve
CAT - Army Service Corps Caterpillar Mechanical Transport
CH - Royal Marines Chatham Division / Royal Marine Light Infantry / Royal Fleet Reserve Chatham
CH/RMP - Royal Marine Police Chatham
CHT - Army Service Corps, Corps of Horse Transport
CMT - Army Service Corps, Corps of Motor Transport
CZ - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Clyde Division wartime enlsitment

D - Dragoons
D - Royal Fleet Reserve Devonport
D - Royal Navy Devonport
DEAL - Royal Marines Deal Depot
DEPOT / D - Royal Marine Light Infantry Deal Depot Permanent Staff
DEV - Royal Fleet Reserve Devonport
DM2 - Army Service Corps Mechanical Transport Learners, discontinued 11/16

E - Royal Fusiliers 17th (Empire) Battalion
E - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Birmingham Electrical Volunteers
E - Army Service Corps Forage (ordinary rates of army pay)
EX - Royal Marines Exton Division (World War II Only)

F - Middlesex Regiment 17th & 23rd (Football) Battalions
F - Royal Naval Air Service / Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm
F - Army Service Corps Forage (not paid from Army Funds)

G - Royal Irish Fusiliers 1st, 2nd 3rd (Garrison) Battalion
G - Home Counties Regiments New Army men and later
GOA - Royal Navy Goa
GS - British Army General Service Enlistment
GSR / GSSR - Royal Sussex Regiment Special Reserve, enlisted under hostilities only terms

H - Hussars
H - North Irish Horse Given to all on strength in mid-1917

J - Royal Navy Seaman branch Prefix
J - Royal Fusiliers 38th, 39th 40th, 42nd (Judean) Battalions
J - Royal Navy Seamen and Communications

K - "Kitchener battalion"???
K - Royal Navy Stokers and Mechanicians
K - Royal Fusiliers 22nd (Kensington) Battalion
KP / KW / KX - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Crystal Palace Enlistment from Kitchener's New Armies

L - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve London Division
L - Lancers
L - Home Counties Regiments Regulars
L - Royal Artillery Wartime enlistment
L - South Wales Borderers 3rd (Reserve) Battalion
L - Royal Navy Officers' Stewards, some Officers' Cooks
L - Royal Navy Lee-on-Solent (FAA)
LSR - Royal Sussex Regiment Special Reserve, enlisted under regular terms
LZ - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve London Division wartime enlistment

M - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Mersey Division
M - Army Service Corps Mechanical Transport
M - Royal Navy Miscellaneous enlistments (e.g. writers etc.)
M - Royal Navy Others - Artificers, Electrical, Supply etc.
M1 & 2 /(SR) - Army Service Corps Enlisted Special Reserve for New Armies
M1, 2 - Army Service Corps Mechanical Transport
MALTA - Royal Navy Malta
MB - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Motor Boat Reserve
MC - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Mine Clearance Service
MFA - Mercantile Fleet Auxiliary
MS - Army Service Corps Mechanical Specials
MZ - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Mersey Division wartime enlistment

N - Royal Army Medical Corps

O - Rifle Brigade

P - Military Foot Police
P - Royal Fleet Reserve Portsmouth / Royal Navy Portsmouth
P - Dragoon Guards
PET - Army Service Corps Petroleum Dept
PLY - Royal Marines Plymouth Division RMLI
- PLY/RMP - Royal Marine Police Plymouth
PO - Royal Marines Portsmouth Division RMLI
- PO/RMP - Royal Marine Police Portsmouth
PO - Royal Fleet Reserve Portsmouth
PS - Royal Fusiliers 18th, 19th, 20th & 21st (Public Schools) Battalions
PS - Middlesex Regiment 16th (Public Schools) Battalion
PW - Middlesex Regiment 18th, 19th & 26th (Public Works) Battalions
PZ - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Crystal Palace Enlistment from civilian life

R - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
R - Army Service Corps Remounts
R - King's Royal Rifle Corps Later recruits up to 16th Battalion
R4, RX4 - Army Service Corps 1st/2nd/3rd/4th New Armies Remounts
RMA - Royal Marines Artillery
RMB - Royal Marines Band
RME - Royal Marines Engineers
RS & R/TS - Army Service Corps Remount Specials
RX - Army Service Corps Army Remount Section

S - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Sussex Division
S - Army Service Corps Supply Branch
S - Scottish Regiments Wartime Enlistment
S - Royal Army Medical Corps
S - Royal Artillery
S - Highland Regiments Wartime Enlistment
S - Home Counties Regiments 3rd Battalion
S - Rifle Brigade
S - Royal Munster Fusiliers
S - Army Ordnance Corps
S - Dorset Regiment
S1, 2, 3, 4 - Army Service Corps 1st/2nd/3rd/4th New Armies Supply (S4 Labour)
SD - Sussex Regiment 11th, 12th & 13th (South Downs) Battalions
SE - Army Veterinary Corps 9th Section
SF - Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm (Short Service)
SK - Royal Navy Stokers (Short Service)
SM - Royal Navy Miscellaneous (Short Service)
SPTS - Royal Fusiliers 23rd & 24th (Sportsman) Battalions
SR - British Army Special Reserve ?
SRMT - Army Service Corps Special Reserve Motor Transport
SS - Army Service Corps Supply Specials
SS - Royal Navy Seamen and Communications (Short Service)
STK - Royal Fusiliers 10th (Stockbroker's) Battalion
SWS - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Shore Wireless Service
SZ - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Sussex Division wartime enlistment

T - Army Service Corps Horse Transport
T - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Tyne Division
T - Army Ordnance Corps
T / TF - Territorial Force
T1 & 2/(SR) - Army Service Corps Enlisted Special Reserve for New Armies
T1, 2, 3, 4 - Army Service Corps 1st/2nd/3rd/4th New Armies Horse Transport
TR - Trimmer (Royal Navy, Mercantile Fleet Auxiliary etc.)
TS - Army Service Corps Transport Specials
TT - Army Veterinary Corps Territorial Force ?
TZ - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Tyne Division wartime enlistment

W - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Wales Division
W - Cheshire Regiment 13th (Wirral) Battalion
W - Royal Artillery 38th (Welsh) Division
WR - Royal Engineers Waterways and Railways
WT4 - Welsh Army Service Corps (see T4 above)
WZ - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Wales Division wartime enlistment

Y - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Deferred enlistment (replaced by divisional prefix on actual enlistment)
Y - King's Royal Rifle Corps Early wartime enlistment

Z - Rifle Brigade

References

↑ This does not apply to the Silver War Badge (SWB), which has its own code.
↑ Rank abbreviations British National Archives
↑ Unit abbreviations British National Archives.
↑ http://www.britishmedalforum.com - Useless reference: needs a username & password

External links

Images of all WW1 medals, Worcestershire Medal Service Ltd web site

[1] This does not apply to the Silver War Badge (SWB), which has its own code.

[2] Rank abbreviations British National Archives

[3] Unit abbreviations British National Archives.

[4] ttp://www.britishmedalforum.com - Useless reference: needs a username & password

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

Lists of abbreviations used on Commonwealth World War I medals

Contents

Service Number

Abbreviations for Rank and Unit

Medal Card Abbreviations

Prefix letters and numbers

References

External links

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