World War I medal abbreviations

When a World War I medal was issued, it was issued with a Service Number, Rank, Name and Regiment. This information should be on every medal that was issued during the First World War.

During World War I, there were four main medals issued, these were 1914 Star, 1914-15 Star, Victory Medal, British War Medal. Although these four were the main medals issued there were many other medals around in World War I.

Service Number[]

From a service number it is sometimes possible to determine in which part of the army a medal holder served. However, this is not always the case; this does not apply to the Silver War Badge (SWB), which has its own code.

Prefix letters and numbers[]

The following is an estimated list of all the Prefix Letter & Numbers.^[1]

/X - Royal Navy & Royal Marines After divisional letters indicates new pay code enlistment
1/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force Samoan Advance Force
10/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force Wellington Rifles
11/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force Wellington Mounted Rifles
12/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force Auckland Rifles
13/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force Auckland Mounted Rifles
14/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force Army Service Corps Divisional Train
15/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force Headquarters Staff
15/ - West Yorkshire Regiment 15th (Leeds Pals) Battalion
16/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force Maori Battalion
17/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force New Zealand Veterinary Corps
18/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force New Zealand Chaplains Department
19/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force Samoan Relief Force, Infantry
2/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force Royal New Zealand Artillery
20/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force Samoan Relief Force, Mounted Rifles
21/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force New Zealand Army Pay Corps
22/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force New Zealand Nursing Service
23/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force 1st Battalion, New Zealand Rifle Brigade
24/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force 2nd Battalion, New Zealand Rifle Brigade
25/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force 3rd Battalion, New Zealand Rifle Brigade
26/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force 4th Battalion, New Zealand Rifle Brigade
3/ - Seaforth Highlanders 3rd (Reserve) Battalion
3/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force New Zealand Medical Corps
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/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force New Zealand Engineers
4/ - Royal Irish Rifles 4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion
5/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force New Zealand Army Service Corps
5/ - Connaught Rangers 5th (Service) Battalion
6/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force Canterbury Infantry
7/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force Canterbury Mounted Rifles
8/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force Otago Rifles
9/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force Otago Mounted Rifles
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 - Royal Navy Alexandria (World War II Only)
A - Australia Silver War Badge Prefix
A (HT) - Army Service Corps Horse Transport Special Reserve
AA - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Anti-Aircraft
ARMR - Army Ordnance Corps Armourer
ASE - Army Service Corps
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 Service No. 21000 onwards all ex-RA / Cavalry
B - Highland Light Infantry 4th (Special Reserve) Battalion
B - Scottish Rifles 4th (Special Reserve) Battalion
B - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Bristol Division
B - Unknown Silver War Badge Prefix
B - Army Service Corps Special Reserve
B (HT) - Army Service Corps Horse Transport Special Reserve TF
BZ - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Bristol Division wartime enlistment
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
C - 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
CH - 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
F - Army Service Corps Forage (not paid from Army Funds)
F - Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm
FAA - Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm (World War II Only)
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 - Royal Sussex Regiment Special Reserve, enlisted under hostilities only terms
GSSR - Royal Sussex Regiment Special Reserve, enlisted under hostilities only terms
H - Hussars
H - Hussars
H - North Irish Horse Given to all on strength in mid-1917
I - India Silver War Badge Prefix
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
K - Royal Fusiliers 22nd (Kensington) Battalion
K - Royal Navy Stokers and Mechanicians
KP - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Crystal Palace Enlistment from Kitchener's New Armies
KW - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Crystal Palace Enlistment from Kitchener's New Armies
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 - Lancers
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
LT - Royal Navy Lowestoft (World War II Only)
LT - Royal Navy Lowestoft (World War II Only)
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
MN - Merchant Navy Silver War Badge Prefix
MS - Army Service Corps Mechanical Specials
MZ - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Mersey Division wartime enlistment
N - Royal Army Medical Corps
N - Royal Navy NAAFI staff (World War II Only)
NZ - New Zealand Silver War Badge Prefix
O - Rifle Brigade
O - Unknown Silver War Badge Prefix
P - Military Foot Police
P - Royal Fleet Reserve Portsmouth
P - 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 - Royal Fleet Reserve Portsmouth
PO/RMP - Royal Marine Police Portsmouth
Prefix Unit Designation
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 Navy Rosyth (World War II Only)
R - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Royal Naval Division
R - Army Service Corps Remounts
R - King's Royal Rifle Corps Later recruits up to 16th Battalion
R - Army Service Corps Army Remount Section
R4, RX4 - Army Service Corps 1st/2nd/3rd/4th New Armies Remounts
RAF - Royal Air Force Silver War Badge Prefix
RM - Royal Marines Silver War Badge Prefix
RMA - Royal Marines Royal Marine Artillery
RMB - Royal Marines Royal Marine Band
RME - Royal Marines Royal Marine Engineers
RN - Royal Navy Silver War Badge Prefix
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 - Army Service Corps Supply Branch
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)
SA - South Africa Silver War Badge Prefix
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 - 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
TF - Territorial Force
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 - Army Service Corps Welsh ?????
WZ - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Wales Division wartim 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

Abbreviations for Rank and Unit[]

There are many abbreviations for the rank and unit of a man. The National archive gives full listings of both Ranks and Units in which he might have served.^[2]^[3]

Medal Card Abbreviations[]

CRV - Certified Receipt Voucher

Theatres Of War Up to 31 December 1915 ---- From 1 January 1916

1.......................................1 Western Europe

.........................................a France and Belgium
.........................................b Italy

2.......................................2 Balkans

.........................................a Greek Macedonia, Serbia, Bulgaria and European Turkey
.........................................b Gallipoli (Dardanelles)

3.......................................3 Russia (4–5 August 1914 to 1–2 July 1920)

4.......................................4 Egypt

.........................................a 4–5 November 1914 to 18–19 March 1916
.........................................b 18–19 March 1916 to 31 October - 1 November 1918

5.......................................5 Africa

.........................................a East Africa, Nyasaland and Northern Rhodesia
.........................................b South West Africa
.........................................c Cameroon
.........................................d Nigeria
.........................................e Togoland

6.......................................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.......................................7 Australasia

.........................................a New Britain
.........................................b New Ireland
.........................................c Kaiser Wilhelmland
.........................................d Admiralty Islands
.........................................e Nauru
.........................................f German Samoa

References[]

External links[]

All or a portion of this article consists of text from Wikipedia, and is therefore Creative Commons Licensed under GFDL.
The original article can be found at World War I medal abbreviations and the edit history here.

[1] ttp://www.britishmedalforum.com

[2] rank abbreviations National Archives

[3] units abbreviations National Archives.

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[2]

[3]