Some Background Before We Go Any Farther (part 1)

Before I go any further perhaps I should use the nest couple of blogs to set some background information for those who are not familiar with what I could call ”military speak”. We will start with the abbreviations which you will run into.  When one thinks of the Corps one tends to think of the  “sharp end”  - the infantryman. By 1918 there was more involved than simply pointing the infantryman towards the enemy and yelling charge.


2IC     second in command
A         Administration/Administrative
A & Q    Administration & Quartermaster
AA & QMC  Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster General
ACI      Army Council Instruction
ADC   Aide-de-Camp
ADMI   Assistant Director of Military Intelligence
ANZAC    Australia New Zealand Army Corps
APM    Assistant Provost Marshall
ASC   Army Service Corps
BEF   British Expeditionary Force
BGGS  Brigadier-General General Staff
BM   Brigadier Major
BMGO    Brigade Machine-Gun Officer
C-in-C   Commander-in-Chief
CB   Commander of the Bath
CCRC  Canadian Corps Reinforcement Camp
CE   Canadian Engineers
CEF   Canadian Expeditionary Force
CFA  Canadian Field Artillery
CGS  Chief of the General Staff
CIGS   Chief of the Imperial General Staff
CMG  Commander of the Order of St. Michael & St. George
CO   Commanding Officer
CRA  Commander Royal Artillery
CRE  Commander Royal Engineers
DA & QMC  Deputy Adjutant  and Quartermaster General
DAAG  Deputy Assistant Adjutant  General
DAC  Divisional Ammunition Column
DMGO  Divisional Machine-Gun Officer
DSO  Distinguished Service Order
FOO  Forward Observation Officer
FSR  Field Service Regulations
G/GS  General Staff
GHQ   General Headquarters
GOC (GOsC)  General Officer(s) Commanding
GOCRA  General Officer Commanding Royal Artillery
GSO1 General Staff Officer (1st grade)
GSO2  General Staff Officer (2nd. grade )
GSO3  General Staff Officer (3rd. Grade)
HE  High Explosive
HQ  Headquarters
IGT  Inspector-General Training
IO  Intelligence Officer
LO Liaison Officer
LOB  Left out of Battle
MC  Military Cross
MGGS  Major-General General Staff
MO  Medical Officer
NCO  Non-Commissioned Officer
NDHQ  National Defense Headquarters
OC   Officer Commanding
OP  Observation Post
OR(s)  Other Rank(s)
p.s.c.  passed staff college
Q/QM  Quartermaster
RAF  Royal Air Force
RCD  Royal Canadian Dragoons
RCHA  Royal Canadian Horse Artillery
RCR  Royal Canadian Regiment
RE  Royal Engineers
RFA  Royal Field Artillery
RFC  Royal Flying Corps
RMC  Royal Military College
RUSI  Royal United States Institute
SAA  Small Arms Ammunition
SD  Staff Duties
TEWT(s)  Tactical  Exercise(s) without Troops
TO  Transport Officer
VC  Victoria Cross