| Initial | Full | Other info |
| AA & QMG | assistant adjutant and quartermaster general | Division staff |
| AB | Army Book | |
| ACC | Army Cyclist Corps | |
| ADC | Aide de camp | generals personal staff |
| Adj | adjutant | Battalion |
| ADMS | Assistant Director of Medical services | Division medical officer |
| ADS | Advanced Dressing Station | 2nd link in medical evacuation chain |
| AF | Army Form | |
| AG | Adjutant general | |
| AIF | Australian Imperial Force | |
| ANZAC | Australian and New Zealand Army Corps | |
| AO | Army Order | |
| AOC | Army Ordnance Corps | |
| AP | Armour Piercing | Ammunition |
| APC | Army Pay Corps | |
| APM | Assistant provost Marshal | Military Police |
| APO | Army Post Office | |
| Archie | Anti-Aircraft Gun or gunfire | slang |
| ASC | Army Service Corps | Transport |
| AT | Army Troops | |
| AVC | Army Veterinary Corps | |
| BAC | Brigade Ammunition Column | |
| BC | Battery Commander | Artillery |
| BEF | British Expeditionary Force | Western front |
| BGGS | Brigadier general, general staff | Chief of staff of a corps |
| Blighty | Home, Britain | from Hindu word for Foreign country |
| BM | Brigade major | |
| BQMS | battery quartermaster sergeant | Artillery |
| BRCS | British Red Cross Society | |
| BSM | battery sergeant major | WO2 in Artillery |
| Bullring | training area at the base | Etaples in particular |
| Canary | Training NCO at the base | They wore yellow armbands |
| CB | Companion of the order of the Bath | award |
| Confined to barracks | ||
| counter battery | Artillery | |
| CCS | Casualty clearing Station | 3rd link in evacuation chain |
| CEF | Canadian Expeditionary Force | |
| CGS | Chief of the general staff | Chief of staff – BEF |
| CIGS | Chief of the Imperial general staff | head of British Army |
| CLC | Chinese Labour Corps | |
| CMG | Companion of the order of St Michael and St George | award |
| C in C | Commander in Chief | Field Marshall French and then Haig |
| CO | commanding officer | Battalions and equivalents |
| Cpl | Corporal | Army Rank |
| CQMS | company quartermaster sergeant | senior NCO – admin at company |
| CRA | Commander Royal Artillery | Division |
| CRE | Commander Royal Engineers | Division |
| CSM | company sergeant major | WO2 |
| CT | Communication Trench | |
| DAA | deputy assistant adjutant | Staff officer |
| QMG | quartermaster general | Staff officer |
| DADMS | deputy assistant director of medical services | Staff officer |
| DADOS | deputy assistant director of Ordnance Services | Senior Ordnance officer in Division |
| DAP | Divisional Ammunition Park | |
| DAQMG | deputy assistant quartermaster | Staff officer |
| DCM | Distinguished Conduct Medal | other ranks |
| DFC | Distinguished Flying Cross | |
| DR | Dispatch Rider | |
| DSC | Distinguished Service Cross | Naval Medal |
| DSM | Distinguished Service Medal | Naval Medal |
| DSO | Distinguished Service Order | Officers |
| EEF | Egyptian Expeditionary Force | |
| FGCM | Field General Court Martial | |
| Flying Pig | Type of Mortar bomb | |
| FOO | forward observation officer | |
| FP | Field Punishment | |
| FPO | Field Post Office | Royal Engineers |
| FSC | Field Survey Company | Royal Engineers |
| GHQ | general headquarters | H.Q. of BEF |
| GOC | general officer commanding | brigade,division,corps or army |
| GRU | Graves Registration Unit | |
| GS | General Service | as in GS Wagon |
| GSO | general staff officer | |
| HS | Home Service | |
| IO | Intelligence Officer | |
| IWGC | Imperial War Graves Commission | later CWGC |
| Jack Johnson | German heavy shell | also Coal Box |
| KCB | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath | award |
| L of C | Lines of Communication | |
| MB | Medical Board | |
| MC | Military Cross | Medal -officers |
| MEF | Mediterranean Expeditionary Force | |
| MG | machine gun | |
| MGC | Machine Gun Corps | |
| Minnie | Minenwerfer | German trench mortar |
| MM | Military Medal | medal – other ranks |
| MiD | Mentioned in Dispatches | oak leaf on medal |
| MO | Medical officer | |
| MT | Motorised Transport | |
| NCC | Non-Combatant Corps | |
| NCO | non-commissioned officer | |
| OC | officer commanding | companies or platoons |
| OR | other ranks – private soldiers and NCOs | as distinct from officers |
| OTC | Officer Training Corps | |
| PBI | Poor Bloody Infantry | |
| PM | Provost Marshall | Military Police |
| PoW | Prisoner of War | |
| PPCLI | Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry | |
| Pte | Private | Army rank |
| QM | quartermaster | battalion |
| QMG | quartermaster general | |
| RAMC | Royal Army Medical Corps | |
| RAP | Regimental aid post | first link in evac chain |
| RE | Royal Engineers | Sappers |
| register | adjust artillery fire onto a target | Artillery |
| RFA | Royal Field Artillery | Artillery |
| RFC | Royal Flying Corps | RAF 1918 |
| RGA | Royal Garrison Artillery | Artillery |
| RHA | Royal Horse Artillery | Artillery |
| RMLI | Royal Marine Light Infantry | |
| RMO | Regimental medical officer | MO – medic |
| RQMS | regimental quartermaster sergeant | |
| RSM | Regimental sergeant major | WO1 |
| RTO | railway transport officer | |
| SAA | Small Arms ammunition | rifle, machine gun |
| SB | stretcher-bearer | |
| Sgt | Sergeant | rank |
| SIW | self-inflicted wound | |
| SOS | save our souls; | artillery |
| SP | Strong Point | |
| stand to | period at dawn and dusk- battle positions | |
| TC | Tank Corps | |
| TM | Trench mortar | |
| TMB | Trench Mortar battery | |
| Toffee Apple | Type of trench mortar bomb | |
| VAD | Voluntary Aid Detachment | |
| VC | Victoria Cross | highest award – for valour |
| WO | Warrant officer | class 1 or 2 |
| Other | Possibles you may come across | |
| German | Jerry, Fritz, The hun or Boche | |
| French | soldier – poilu | french other ranks |
| British | Tommy or tommy Atkins | used at home but rarely by the men |
| Wipers | Ypres in Belgian flanders | |
| Vin Blanc | plonk | |
| rest camp | cemetery | |
| Gone west | killed | |
| Body snatcher | stretcher bearer | |
| bombproof | safe job behind the lines | |
| bumf | bum fodder – paperwork from H.Q. | slang for red tape |
The above are just a taste of abbreviations used, but hopefully they will help. Others would be gratefully received.