Commonly Used Abbreviations
For your convenience these files are also available for download in the following formats:
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
- #21 MTB Flot (or other No.) 21st MTB Flotilla
- #2EG (or other No.) 2nd Escort Group
- #7CS (or other No.) 7th Cruiser Squadron
- A or (A) Acting
- (A) Air = a person borne for aviation duties
- A/c, A/C or AC Aircraft Carrier or Aircraft
- A/S Anti Submarine
- AB Able Seaman
- AC Air Craftsmen
- Adm Administration
- Air Mech Air Mechanic Fleet Air Arm
- AMC Armed Merchant Cruiser
- ANR Above Named Rating
- AOR At Own Request
- APO Acting Petty Officer
- Apptd Appointed
- APR Awaiting Passage Return
- Attd Attached
- Aux Auxiliary
- AWOL Absent Without Leave
- BAA British Assault Area
- BC Battle Casualty
- BCTF British Carrier Task Force
- BHF British Home Fleet
- BMS British Merchant Service
- BNS Below Naval Physical Standard
- Boy 1 Boy First Class
- BPF British Pacific Fleet
- BSN Boatswain
- CAM Catapult Aircraft Merchantman
- CC Channel Convoys
- Cdr Commander
- CERBERUS Shore Establishment, Melbourne, Australia
- CF Coastal Forces
- CH or Chap Chaplain
- CHATHAM Naval Base, Dockyard and Barracks, Kent
- CMS Controlled Mine Station
- COLOMBO Shore Establishment, Devonport, UK
- COOK Shore Establishment Shelly Bay Wellington
- COOK II Shore Establishment Tulagi then Espiritu Santo
- CPO Chief Petty Officer
- CPOAir Chief Petty Officer Aircrew Fleet Air Arm
- CPOYS Chief Petty Officer Yeoman Signals
- CPOWTR Chief Petty Officer Writer
- CPOSTD Chief Petty Officer Steward
- CS Continuous Service (see SS and HO)
- Cse Course
- Ctba Ceases to be attached
- D Discharged
- DAEDALUS FAA Training Establishment Lee on Solent, UK
- DD Discharged Dead
- DDS Destroyer Depot Ship
- DEMS Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships
- DF Destroyer Flotilla
- DRAKE Shore Establishment, Devonport, UK
- DTBA Date to be advised
- DTBR Date to be Reported
- E/D pay Extra Duties Pay
- EAGLET Shore Establishment, Liverpool, UK
- EIS East Indies Station
- ERA Engine Room Artificer
- FAA Fleet Air Arm
- FAP First Aid Post
- FSC Fairmile Sub-chaser
- FERRET Shore Establishment Londonderry Northern Ireland
- FSL Foreign Service Leave
- FT Fleet Train
- GANNET Shore Establishment Londonderry Northern Ireland
- GOLDEN HIND Shore Establishment, Sydney, Australia
- HDML Harbor Defence Motor Launch
- HMNZS His Majesty’s New Zealand Ship
- HMS His Majesty’s Ship
- HO Hostilities Only (See SS and CS)
- JAMES COOK Shore Establishment, Glen Galagh, Scotland
- KAHU Shore Establishment, Russell Islands
- KING ALFRED Shore Establishment, Hove, UK
- L Leading Seaman
- L/Air Leading Airman Fleet Air Arm
- L/Ck Leading Cook
- L/Sig Leading Signalman
- L/Stwd Leading Steward
- L/Tel Leading Telegraphist
- LAC Leading Air Craftsman
- LANKA Shore Establishment, Ceylon (Sri Lanka)
- LCI Landing Craft Infantry
- LCT Landing Craft Tank
- Lt Lieutenant
- Lt Cdr Lieutenant Commander
- LW(O)P Leave With/Without Pay
- LWREN Leading Hand Women's Naval Service
- M/S Minesweeper
- M/U Medically Unfit
- MAA Master at Arms
- Mech 1, 2, 3 Mechanician First, Second or Third Class
- MF Mediterranean Fleet
- MID Mention in Dispatches
- ML Motor Launch
- MLF Motor Launch Flotilla
- NAP Naval Auxiliary Patrol
- NAPS Naval Auxiliary Patrol Service
- NCBL Naval Control Boarding Launch
- NES Naval Electrical School Petone (Cover name for Anti-Submarine training school)
- NIGHT JAR RNAS, Scotland
- NIGHTHAWK RNAS, Scotland
- NMS Naval Minesweeping Base (Wellington)
- NOCA Naval Officer Commanding, Auckland
- NOCD Naval Officer Commanding Dunedin
- NOCL Naval Officer Commanding Lyttleton
- NOCW Naval Officer Commanding, Wellington
- NTD Naval Torpedo Depot (Wellington)
- NZD New Zealand Division
- NZNB New Zealand Naval Board
- OPL Outer Patrol Launch
- Ord Ordinary Seaman
- P/U Permanently Unfit
- PEMBROKE Shore Establishment Chatham
- PHILOMEL Depot Ship later Shore Establishment Auckland
- PO Petty Officer
- PO (A) Petty Officer serving in Fleet Air Arm as pilot or aircrew
- POSM Petty Officer Stoker Mechanician
- POW Prisoner of War
- POYS Petty Officer Yeoman Signals
- PUNS Physically Unfit for Naval Service
- PWSS Port War Signal Station
- Qual Qualified (for)
- RAN Royal Australian Navy
- RFR Royal Fleet Reserve
- RN Royal Navy
- RNAS Royal Naval Air Station
- RNB Royal Naval Barracks
- RNR Royal Naval Reserve
- RNVR Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
- RNVR (NZ) Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (NZ)
- RNZNVR Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve
- RSF Red Sea Force
- Run Deserted
- RUSHCUTTER Shore Establishment Sydney Australia
- S/Ms Submarines
- SA Stores Assistant / Accountant
- SBA Sick Berth Attendant
- SCS Seventh Cruiser Squadron
- SE Shore Establishment
- SEG Second Escort Group
- SGN Surgeon
- SLt Sub-Lieutenant
- SML Survey Motor Launch
- SNLR Services No Longer Required
- SOS Struck Off Strength
- SS Short Service (see CS and HO)
- ST VINCENT Shore Establishment Gosport UK
- STE Shore Training Establishment
- STO Stoker
- Sto1 or Sto 2 Stoker First or Second Class
- Stwd Steward
- TAMAKI Shore Establishment Motuihe Island Auckland
- TOS Taken on Strength
- Ty Temporary
- U/T Under Training
- VICTORY Shore Establishment Portsmouth UK
- W/T Wireless Telegraphy = Radio
- Wef With Effect From
- WO Warrant Officer
- WOAS While on Active Service
- WRENS Women’s Royal Emergency Naval Service
- WRNZNS Women’s Royal New Zealand Naval Service
- WTR Writer