Great War Terms used by the British

In this piece we have put together a list of First World War terms, abbreviations and slang that sometimes crops up. It is far from exhaustive but hopefully assists with understanding historical terminology used during the Great War.

A

Armed Boarding Vessel - Civilian ship armed and taken into the navy.

Ack Ack - Anti-aircraft (artillery).

Ack Emma - a.m. (midnight to noon).

Adrian helmet - French army standard issue steel helmet post-1916. Named after the designer.

Advanced Dressing Station : The most advanced medical post behind the Regimental Aid Post.

AEF - American Expeditionary Force.

A-frame - Inverted A-shaped wooden frame to support duckboards.

ALH - Australian Light Horse.

Alleyman : British slang for a German soldier.

Alpini - Italian Alpine troops specialising in mountain warfare.

Amiens Hut : Temporary structure of canvas on a frame used at British base camps.

Ammo-boot - Ammunition boot - British standard issue ankle boot.

ANZAC - Australian (and) New Zealand Army Corps.

AOC - Army Ordnance Corps.

AP - Medical Aid Post.

Archie - Anti-aircraft fire.

Armlet - Armband signifying special function e.g. Instructor.

ASC - Army Service Corps.

AVC - Army Veterinary Corps.

B

Bangalore torpedo - Long explosive charge for clearing barbed-wire.

Bantam battalions - British and Canadian units, principally manned by shorter statured men - 5'1" and 5'4"; formerly ineligible to serve.

Bantam - Term for members of battalions between 5ft 1in and 5ft 4in.

Banquette British - A raised way or fire-step along the inside of a trench . Allowed soldiers inside a trench to step up and fire their rifles then step back down to avoid return fire.

Barrage - Bombardment by artillery.

Battery : A group of six guns or howitzers.

Battle bowler - British steel helmet.

Battle order - Reduced webbing and a haversack for action.

Battle Police : Military police deployed behind an attack to interpret stragglers.

BEF - British Expeditionary Force - initially only 4 Divisions.

Bellied - A term used when a tank's underside was caught upon an obstacle so high that its tracks could not grip the earth.

Berm - Storage place in the parapet of a trench.

BGRA and BGRE - Brigadier Generals of Royal Artillery and Engineers.

Biff - Bristol fighter aircraft.

Big Bertha - German 42cm Morser heavy gun successfully used to bombard and reduce the French and Belgian forts in 1914. Later, any large calibre artillery.

Billy - Australian nickname for a cooking-pot or can.

Bivvy - Bivouac: initially a tent, but later any shelter or dug-out.

Black Hand Gang : Slang for a raiding party on a difficult mission.

Blanco - Paste used to whiten webbing - khaki blanco was also widely used.

Blighty - Home - Britain. Hence - 'Blighty Wound'.

Blimp - Airship or balloon. Later, officious senior officer.

Blue Cross I & II - German toxic gas: diphenylchloroarsine - sternutator(sneezing/vomiting) type. Containers were marked withblue crosses.

Body-snatcher - a British - a stretcher bearer. Also, a member of a raiding party (required to bring back prisoners for information)

Boche - German Army; originally coined by French Army.

Bombardier - A Royal Artillery corporal.

Bomber Infantry-man specialising in the use of hand-grenades.

Bombproof - Protective against shrapnel and shell-fragments.

Box-barrage - Intense bombardment of restricted area.

Bracket - To fire shells around target to find exact range.

Brass(hat) - High ranking staff officers. From the gold braid worn on the peak of their hats and other parts of their uniform.

Brassard - Armband.

Brigade - Next sized unit after the Battalion. Comprised of a variable number of Regiments and their support services - about 3,000 men.

British warm - British officer's heavy woollen khaki, or brown, greatcoat.Usually just below knee-length.

Brodie helmet British - (1915) The famous "soup-bowl" helmet. Upgraded to the Mark I version in 1916. Used by US and Portuguese troops also. Named for its inventor, John L. Brodie.

Buckshee - Something for free or surplus to needs.

Bullring - Behind-the-lines training camp for new arrivals. Also for convalescent soldiers to prepare for (and encourage) a speedy return to duty. Especially at Etaples, France.

Bully - Canned corned beef. Also known as bully beef.

Bundook - Rifle.

Button stick - Slotted brass sheet used for polishing the brass buttons on serviceman's uniform without damaging the cloth.

Buzzer - A electric device used for Morse code.

C

Cage - Prisoner-of-war camp

Camouflet - Tunnel used to detect and blow-up tunnels of the enemy.

Canary - British drill instructor in French base camps - wore a yellow armband.

Cap-comforter - Knitted woollen cap usually worn under steel helmet.

Case shot - Artillery shell filled with shrapnel balls about 2cm in diameter. A sort of large air-borne shotgun.

Cat - Caterpillar tracked vehicle much used to transport heavy guns and ammunition.

CB - Confinement to Barracks; usually for a minor transgression of Army Regulations. Often included additional parades and menial duties.

CCS - Casualty Clearing Station. Principal source of medical attention behind the lines, acting as a filter for evacuation and further hospital treatment.

CEP - Portuguese Expeditionary Force.

CGS - Chief of the General Staff.

CHA - Commander of the Heavy Artillery.

Charger - Metal clip for introducing 5 rounds of 0.303 ammunition directly into the magazine of the standard Lee-Enfield rifle.

Chat - a louse

Chevron - Often called 'stripes'. Cloth V-shaped devices worn on sleeve of uniform. On the upper arm, it/they indicated the rank of Lance-corporal (1), Corporal (2) and Sergeant (3). On the lower arm - as a reversed V - years of service.

Chinese Attack - Term used to describe a faked attack. When a preliminary bombardment ceased, the defending troops would return to their trenches to meet the presumed attack, whereupon the artillery would start firing again and catch the defenders out of their shelters.

Chokey - Prison - usually civilian.

CIGS - Chief of the Imperial General Staff (British).

CLF - Chinese Labour Force. 100,000 Chinese nationals recruited for the duration to carrying out manual work in, and behind, the lines. These Chinese also did much of the battlefield clearance work post November 1918.

CO - Commanding Officer. Usually senior officer of an infantry battalion or cavalry regiment.

Coal-box - Large shell which produced black smoke on explosion.

Coffin-nail - Cigarette. Favourite British brand was 'Woodbine'.

Communication trench - Vital access route to front line trenches. (Also CT).

Concertina wire - Coiled barbed wire from which wire entanglements were created.

Conscription - In January 1916, Parliament passed the first conscription laws (compulsory enrollment) ever passed in Britain. At first only single men and childless widowers aged 18 to 41 were called up. By 1918 compulsory service had been extended to include all men aged 18 to 51. More than 2.3 million conscripts were enlisted before the end of the war in November, 1918.

Conshie - Conscientious objector. Some were jailed, others sent to the UK coal mines. Another group volunteered for non- combatant services e.g. stretcher bearers, ambulance drivers, medical orderlies.

Cootie - Louse (possibly from Malay kutu [1917])

Corduroy road - Access roads created by laying a parallel series of cut logs to provide a dry, durable, but often uncomfortable, surface for men and vehicles.

Corkscrew - Metal post for supporting a wire entanglement, with twisted base enabling it to be screwed into the ground, obviating the use of a hammer which might attack enemy fire.

Covering Party - A detachment of soldiers protecting a working-party in the front line.

CRE - Officer Commanding Royal Engineers (Sappers).

Creeping barrage - Orchestrated artillery barrage so timed as to keep just ahead of the advancing infantry.

Crump - Bursting shell.

CSM - Company sergeant major. Senior NCO in Regimental

C-Stoff - German toxic gas: chlormethyl chloroformate - lung irritant type.

Curtain fire - Artillery barrage falling between the opposing armies prohibiting the advance of the enemy.

Cushy - Anything considered to entail only light duties or to provide a relatively comfortable environment.

D

Daisy cutter - Shell which explodes without penetrating the ground.

Derby Scheme - British system of voluntary recruitment instituted by Lord Derby just before conscription was introduced in 1916.

DCM - Distinguished Conduct Medal.

DGMS - Director General of Medical Services. Always a qualified Medical Doctor.

Digger - Australian soldier.

Ditched - A tank immobilised in soft ground or by an obstacle.

Division - Army unit of three brigades - about 10,000 men.

Dixie - Cooking vessel.

DMS - Director of Medical Services. Always a qualified Medical Doctor.

DMT - Director of Motor Transport.

Don R - Motorcycle dispatch rider.

Doolally Tap - Mentally disturbed.

DOS - Director of Ordnance Services.

Doughboy - American soldier.

DOW - Died of wounds. Official notification.

Draft - Re-enforcement tranche of men to make up losses at front. At times numbered over 500 for a single battalion.

Drift - Deflection of rifle bullet to the right caused by the turning motion imparted by the rifling of the barrel.

Drumfire - The sound produced by artillery guns when fired in rapid sequence.

DSO - Distinguished Service Order.

DST - Director Supplies and Transport.

D-stoff - German toxic gas: (phosgene) carbonylchloride - lung irritant type.

Duckboard - Slatted wooden planks laid on the floor of trench, or raised on wooden frames, to keep soldiers' feet dry.

Dud - a) A shell which failed to explode. (In 1914/15 upto 50% of British shells were duds, mainly due to faulty fuses). b) An incompetent staff officer.

Duff - a) Pudding - usually made with suet. b) A bad job.

Dug-out - a) A shelter excavated in the wall of a trench. From a simple refuge to a suite of subterranean rooms. b) Retired officer recalled to duty. Often unsuited to the task or reluctant to return to active service.

Dum-dum - Bullet made with a soft nose, or deliberately deformed, to produce maximum trauma on human body.

DVS - Director of Veterinary Services. Always a qualified Veterinarian.

E

EFC - Expeditionary Force Canteens for troops, located behind the lines. Precursor of NAAFI.

Emma Gee - Machine gun.

Emma Pip - Military policeman.

Enfilade - To fire down a trench or at a row of men lengthways, rather than crossways.

Erk - Junior rank of air-fitter in RFC/RAF.

Ersatz - Below the expected, or required, standard, e.g. ersatz coffee made from chicory and/or acorns. German reserves (German for an inferior substitute; [1875])

Estaminet - Simple bar cum café typically offering cheap wine and/or brandy and omelette et frites.

Exaspirator - Early box type gas mask.

Excused duty - Sick note for illness not requiring hospitalisation.

F

FA - a) Field Artillery. b) Field Ambulance unit. c) Nothing - Fanny Adams/Sweet Fanny Adams/ F..k All.

Fag - Cigarette. (from fag end [c.1888])

FANY - Nursing unit - First Aid Nursing Yeomanry.

Fascine - Large bundle of sticks carried by tanks to facilitate crossing of trenches etc.

FB - Fighter biplane.

FD - Field Dressing. Small package carried by all soldiers to administer first aid to himself or a comrade.

Feldgrau - Colour of German uniform and the uniform itself.

Field Dressing - Small bag of bandages and pins carried by each man for application to small wounds.

Field postcard - Card bearing a series of printed standardised messages which could be under-scored to indicate present status of serviceman. Avoided need for, and delay by, censoring.

Field Punishment Number 1- Punishment of soldiers that involved being tied to a gun-wheel and being put on a bread and water diet.

Fire-bay - Position in trench for infantryman awaiting an attack.

Fire-step - Raised step which allowed infantryman to see over the parapet for firing or observation. The depth of the trench proper allowed movement without exposing the head above ground.

Fire-trench - Principal front-line trench.

Flak - German anti-aircraft fire.

Flammenwerfer - German flame-thrower.

Flea-bag - Sleeping bag.

Flechette - Anti-personnel dart dropped from an aircraft.

Flight - Nominally, 5 or 6 RFC aircraft.

Flying pig - Any mortar bomb.

FOO - Forward Observation Officer. Link between Battalion and artillery batteries.

Four-by-two - Small (4" x 2") piece of flannelette cloth attached to pull- through cord and used to clean the bore of a rifle.

FP - Field Punishment. Severest punishment at field level.

Fray Bentos - Canned corned beef; derived from trade mark of large Argentinian supplier.

Frightfulness - Gas warfare and German Army's conduct in general.

Fritz - German. (Jerry was a WW2 term)

Front - Area(s) where the opposing armies met.

FSMO - Full Service Marching Order - standard equipment carried by infantryman in the field.

Funk hole - Dugout. Occasionally used to indicate a hiding place for officers and soldiers who had 'the wind-up' (afraid).

G

Gasper - Cigarette.

Gaspirator - Later model of gas respirator.

Gearsman - Operator of gearshift in early tanks.

Geese - Portuguese soldiers.

GHQ - General Headquarters.

Glasshouse - Military prison; after glass roofed structure of Shepton Mallet Military Prison in UK.

GOC - General Officer Commanding.

Gor Blimey - Cloth, khaki Field Service Cap with the cap rim stiffening- wire illegally removed to give a crushed casual look affected by old, and not so old, soldiers.

Gotha - Any large German bomber aircraft.

Green Cross - German toxic gas: chloropicrin - lung irritant type.

Green Cross III - German toxic gas: ethyldichloroarsine - sternutator (sneezing and vomiting) type. Shells marked with green crosses.

Greyback - British Army shirt.

GSO - General Staff Officer: GSO1 etc.

Gunfire - Early morning tea.

H

HAC - Honourable Artillery Company.

HAG - Heavy Artillery Group.

Hard Tack - Army biscuit.

Harry Tate - RE8 type aircraft. (HarryTate was a well known music-hall performer).

Hate - Regular artillery bombardment. Morning Hate, etc.

H.E. - High explosive. British used TNT and, later TNT + Ammatol; Central Powers TNT only.

Hospital Blue - Blue coloured uniform, (with white shirt and red tie), worn by convalescent soldiers.

House - Game of Bingo. Also winning call for a card with a full set of correct numbers. Only legal form of gambling in Forces. The game was also known as Housey-Housey.

Housewife - Small cloth bag containing sewing and darning materials; part of serviceman's standard issue equipment.

Hun - German servicemen and civilians.

Huntley Palmer - Lewis twin guns mounted on British aircraft.

Hush-hush - Anything secret.

Hypo - Sodium thiosulphate. Used to impregnate gas-hoods as an early anti-toxic gas preventive measure.

I

I (Branch) - Intelligence section at Staff HQ.

I.D - Identity disc; bearing service number, unit, rank, name and religion. Initially only one disc of fibre or aluminium. Worn on string around neck. Post-1916, two fibre discs one green, one red. The green to be left on the body, the red to be collected as proof of death. Because of the poor durability of the issue discs some servicemen purchased their own in a heavier aluminium version.

IG - Inspector General of the Army.

Iron ration - Emergency ration carried in backpack. Usually included corned-beef (bully), tea (char) and army biscuits (hard tack).

J

Jack - Sailor in Royal Navy. Also in Royal Naval Division.

Jack Johnson - Shell producing dense black smoke. (Jack Johnson was a famous black boxer).

Jager - German rifleman.

Jankers - Punishment for minor misdemeanours; usually involving 'fatigues' i.e. menial tasks and extra parades.

Jock - Serviceman of Scottish origin.

Jumping off point - Starting point for an attack.

K

Kamerad - German plea for surrender supported by raising the hands above the head and/or waving a white flag.

KIA - Killed in Action. Formal notification of death in action.

Kilo - kilometre.

Kitchener's Army - New volunteer army(ies) raised in 1914/15 after appeal by Lord Kitchener. K1 1sy Army, K2 2nd army, K3 3rd Army.

K of K - Lord Kitchener of Khartoum.

Kite balloon - Observation balloon controlled by steel cables from the ground.

Kiwi - New Zealander serviceman.

KOSBIES - King's Own Scottish Borders Regiment.

KR - King's Regulations. Manual of Military Regulations.

KRRC - Kings Royal Rifle Corps.

KSLI - King's Shropshire Light Infantry.

Kultur - German 'frightfulness' - sardonic.

L

Leap-Frog - System of assault in which the first wave took the first objective and the second wave pass through them to take the second objective.

LG - Lewis gun.

Lifting Barrage - An advancing bombardment.

Light duty - Work suitable for a convalescing soldier.

Line - Associated with The Front e.g down the line.

L of C - Line of communication.

Listening Post - Position from which the enemy could be overheard, either in a forward trenches, or a temporary night-time post in No man's land.

Long Tom - Long barrelled artillery piece.

L Pip - Listening post.

Lucifer - a match. The name of a popular brand.

M

Maconochie - Canned soup produced by UK manufacturer. Not particularly popular.

MC - Military Cross.

Medicine and duty - Standard medical prescrption for treatment of minor illness, a.ka. Doctors Orders.

Meinenhund - "mine dogs", dogs used to carry explosives and equipment into mines and saps.

MEF - Mediterranean Expedition Force.

M&V - Canned meat and vegetable stew.

MG - Machine gun.

MGC - Machine Gun Corps.

MGGS - Major General, General Staff.

MGO - Machine Gun Officer.

MGR - Major General Royal Artillery.

Mick - Irishman.

Miinnie - Minenwerfer. Bomb from a German trench mortar - hence 'moaning Minnie'.

MM - Military Medal.

MMGC - Motorised Machine Gun Corps.

MO - Unit Medical Officer, e.g. RMO - Regimental Medical Officer.

Mop-up - Elimination of any residual pockets of enemy troops after the advancing wave(s) of an attack had passed.

MT - Motor Transport.

Mufti - Civilian clothes. (From Arabic mufti, free.)

Mustard Gas - Highly toxic gas - dichlorethylsulphide - vesicator (blistering) type. First used by Germans in 1917.

Meinenhund - "mine dogs", dogs used to carry explosives and equipment into mines and saps.

N

Napoo - finished, empty, gone (From French "il n'y en a plus", the answer shop owners gave they were asked for more drink and had none)

Nix - Nothing, no (from German nichts)

No man's land - Territory between the trenches of opposing armies. Varied from a few yards to 100's, or thousands, of yards.

Number 9 - Laxative Pill - number nine in the army pharmacopoeia. Often handed out to malingerers.

NZMR - New Zealand Mounted Rifles.

NZRB - New Zealand Rifle Brigade.

O

OB - Order of Battle.

OC - Officer Commanding. Senior officer of a unit.

Odds and sods - Personnel not assigned to a specific unit or excess to requirements.

Old Contemptible - 1914 British Expeditionary Force (BEF). From the Kaiser's statement that the German Army in Belgium was being delayed by 'Sir John French's contemptible little army'.

Old Soldier - Long serving soldier well acquainted with the ways of the army and the avoidance of onerous duties.

Old Sweat - As above.

On the Wire - Left on the enemy barbed wire after an attack. Missing or killed in action.

OO - Ordnance Officer.

Oojar - Cylinder - 190lbs - of chlorine toxic gas. Also something of which the name was unknown or forgotten. Doodah also used in this context.

OP - Observation Post.

O Pip - As above.

Orderly - Medical attendant or serviceman employed in the unit office as a 'go-for'.

Original - Original and surviving member of a unit.

OS - Ordnance Services and Orderly Sergeant.

OTC - Officers Training Corps, located in many UK universities.

Over the top - Leave the trenches and advance on the enemy line usually to the accompaniment of the unit's officers' whistles.

P

Padre - Chaplain to the forces.

Pals' Battalions - Battalions of troops recruited from one area, often having the same kind of occupation (e.g. mill-workers).

Panzers - German tanks.

Parados - Raised back of the trench. Usually made of sand-bags.

Parapet - Raised front of the trench. Usually made of sand-bags.

Pavé - Stone cobbled roads, pavements and squares.

PBI - Poor Bloody (British) Infantry.

Perisher - Trench periscope for observing enemy whilst concealed behind parapet or other fortification.

P Helmet - Early gas mask in the form of a hood with mica visor.

Phonetic alphabet - Nominating some letters by words to avoid confusions in voice communication, i.e. Beer = B, Emma = M, Toc = T.

Picket - Steel rod used to support barbed wire. Often cork- screw shaped. Frequently one of the last surface artifacts readily identifiable on the former battlefields, e.g. The Newfoundland Memorial Park.

Pill box - Reinforced concrete structure to house machine gun.

Pip - Star(s) showing officer's rank, e.g. Captain had 3 pips.

PIP EMMA - Afternoon. PM (post meridiem). The spoken letters of the phonetic alphabet.

Pipeline - Trench to conceal telephone cables.

Pip Emma - p.m. - noon to midnight.

Pip, Squeak and Wilfred - 1914/15 Star, War and Victory Medals.

Platoon - Sub-unit of infantry Company, i.e. about 50 men.

Plonk - Non-vintage white wine.

Plum and apple - Jam.

PM - Provost Marshal. Senior officer in Military Police.

Poilu - French infantryman - the bearded one.

Point blank - Extreme short range - over the sights of artillery guns.

POL - Petrol, oil and lubricants for transport.

Pom fritz - French fries.

Pom Pom - Small calibre cannon; sometimes grouped in two's or four's for maximum effect against aircraft or balloons.

Poodle faker - Officer with social pre-occupations.

Pork and beans - Portuguese troops.

Potato-masher - German stick-grenade.

Poilu - French soldiers themselves preferred les hommes or les bonhommes. (French, from poilu hairy, from Middle French, from poil hair, from Latin pilus )

Pickelhaube - The distinctive early war helmet with a spike on top.

Pozzy - Jam.

PPCLI - Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.

Provo - Provost-sergeant - Military Police.

PT - Physical Training.

PTI - Physical Training Instructor.

Pukka - Absolutely genuine.

Pull-through - Strong cord to pull oiled four-by-two through rifle barrel to clean it.

Push - Term used by General Staff to indicate an offensive, e.g. 'The Big Push', as was said of The Battle of the Somme.

Pusher - Aircraft with rear mounted propeller. Comparatively inefficient but gave clear field of fire for the front gunner.

Puttee - Narrow cloth band wrapped around lower leg to provide over-lap between boot and trouser bottom; in lieu of canvas gaiter.

Q

Q - Quartermaster Branch of General Staff.

QM - Quartermaster sergeant; NCO i/c Supplies, Accommodation etc.

R

RAF - Royal Air Force, replaced RFC in 1918.

Rainbow Division - 42nd Division, US Army; wore rainbow motif shoulder-flash.

RAMC - Royal Army Medical Corps.

RAP - Regimental Aid Post.

RB - Rifle Brigade.

RDF - Royal Dublin Fusiliers.

RE - Royal Engineers.

Red Cap - Military Policeman.

Red Hat - Staff Officer; wore red cap band.

Redoubt - Super-fortified strongpoint; much used by Central Powers.

Red Tab - Staff Officer; wore red collar tabs.

Register - Ranging of an artillery gun(s) on a target by successive shots so as to permit, subsequently, an accurate barrage.

Respirator - Later model of gas mask using a chemical filled canister to filter air intake and an airtight rubber face mask with inset glass goggles.

Reveille - Bugle wake-up call.

Revetment - Strengthening of trench wall by earth and, where necessary, with other materials such as wood, sand-bags and steel sheeting.

RFA - Royal Field Artillery.

RFC - Royal Flying Corps, 1914 - 1917.

RGA - Royal Garrison Artillery.

RMA - Royal Marine Artillery.

RMLI - Royal Marine Light Infantry.

RMO - Regimental Medical Officer.

RNAS - Royal Naval Air Service.

RND - Royal Naval Division.

Rocade - Light railway serving the front-lines with men, munitions and other supplies. Became critical for the movement of the tanks to the different sectors of the battlefield.

Rookie - A recruit or new man (from recruit).

Rondins - Cut tree-trunks used in the construction of corduroy roads.

RSM - Regimental Sergeant Major. Senior NCO in regiment.

RTO - Railway Transport Officer.

RTU - Returned to unit. Fate of failures in specialist courses.

Runner - Carrier of messages by hand when other means of communication was not available. Often had high casualty rate.

Russian Sap - Narrow trench dug like a mine-shaft so that the surface of the earth was not disturbed. A sap trench helped raiders to approach enemy lines without being detected.

S

SAA - Small arms ammunition (i.e. 0.303 rounds).

Salient - Territory projecting into enemy lines. Most famous was the 'Ypres Salient' which was held at enormous cost by the British from 1914 to 1918.

Sandbag - Hessian sack filled with sand or soil. Essential element of most defensive works such as parapets and parados. Effective against bullets, shrapnel and most shell-splinters.

San Fairy Ann - Corruption of French phrase ça ne faire rien (it doesn't matter) meaning, 'Never mind'

Sangar - Above ground defence-work of stone, earth or sand-bags, where ground was too hard, or too wet, to dig trenches.

Sap - Narrow trench dug at an angle from main trench.

Sapper - Private in the Royal Engineers. Sappers, was a collective term for men of the Royal Engineers.

Sausage - Captive balloon.

SB - Stretcher bearer; often member of regimental band.

Scran - Food.

Shell dressing - Larger version of field dressing carried in pack or haversack.

Shell shock - Psychological disorder brought on by stress and/trauma. Could be as a result of long exposure to active service or the result of a single traumatic incident. Originally believed to be due to being blown-up by shell fire

Short arm inspection - medical inspection of the a soldier's penis to look for cases of VD

Short one - A shell fired by friends or allies that hits or almost hits friendly troops

Shrapnel - Steel balls ejected above the ground by explosions of shell canisters using the shot-gun principle. Not to be confused shell-splinters - pieces of shell-casing.

SIW - Self inflicted wound. Typically, on a toe or the foot. Used to obtain evacuation from the Front Line

Skilly - Stew.

Slack - Debris thrown up by gun-fire.

Soldier's Friend - Proprietary metal polish.

SOS - Emergency coloured flares requesting support.

Souvenir - Item collected from the battlefield and kept as a memento. Also, specially prepared items such as framed photographs, postcards, ceramics, dolls, etc.

Splash - Metal bullet fragments which penetrated the visor of a tank. Or the inner surface of metal plates lining the tank and their coating of paint, which were driven-off at high velocity by external hits of bullets, shrapnel, splinters etc.

Spout - Rifle barrel - as in 'one up the spout' i.e. a bullet ready loaded into the breech of the rifle.

Spud - Potato. Also common nickname of servicemen named Murphy.

Squaddy - Private soldier in infantry

Squarehead - A German. Based on the shape of the M.1916 German helmet.

SR - Scottish Rifles, a.k.a. The Cameronians.

SRD - Service Rum, Dilute. Standard issue rum for front-line troops. Usually, supplied in 1-gallon jars

Stahlhelm - Helmet that replaced the Pickelhaube in 1916. Upgraded to Model 1918.

Stand Down - Order to end manning of positions at Stand To. See below.

Stand To - Order to troops to man positions as a routine at dawn and dusk (when attacks were most expected) and at other times when an attack was expected.

Stick-bomb - German hand-grenade with a long wooden handle to facilitate throwing.

Stinker - Goatskin winter-coat.

Stinks - Servicemen employed in the use of toxic gas against the enemy.

Storm Troops - Used by most nations in a vain attempt to defeat enemy trenches. Specially equipped and trained to lead their side's assaults. Germans were called Stosstruppen, British, grenadier parties, Italians, death companies.

Strafe - To bombard with bullets, shells or mortar bombs.

Stunt - An inspired, or out-of-the-ordinary, action against the enemy.

Suicide Club - Member of a risky bombing-party.

Swagger stick - Metal topped cane, carried under-the-arm, by off-duty soldiers.

T

Taffy - Welsh soldier.

Tapes - Lines of cloth tape laid on the ground to indicate a starting line or the direction of advance.

Teddy bear - Shaggy goatskin winter coat.

Terps - Interpreter.

Terrier -Member of British Territorial Army.

Tickler's - Proprietary brand of jam issued to troops. Also all kinds of jam.

Tic-tac - Signaler.

Tin hat - Steel helmet of any kind.

TM - Trench mortar.

TMB - Trench mortar battery.

Toc Emma - Trench mortar.

Toc H - The Everyman's Club (serviceman's recreation club), located at Poperinghe, near Ypres, in Belgium.

Toffee apple - Stokes mortar bomb. Explosive/gas projectile about the size of a football mounted on a shaft containing the propellant.

Tommy - British soldier.

Tommy-bar - Metal spanner used to open up a Mills bombs for priming.

Tommy-cooker - Alcohol fueled portable cooker for use in Front Line.

Toot sweet - Corrupted form of French - toute suite - immediately.

Tot - Active service rum ration; theoretically about 65ml.

Tour - Time spent by a unit in the line. Usually 4 to 6 days followed by a variable period of rest behind the lines. However, this rest period often included training and fatigue duties such as trench digging, moving munitions and filling sandbags.

Tracer (bullet) - One in every five or so machine-gun bullets which had a phosphorescent insert. This glowed in flight facilitating the correction of the aiming of the gun. Particularly useful at night and for tracking moving targets such as aircraft. It could give away the position of the firer to the enemy.

Tractor - An aircraft with a front mounted propeller. Also a vehicle for moving artillery.

Traverse - Trenches were not straight ditches, since this would have made them far too vulnerable to enfilade fire. Instead, they had traverses built in. These were protrusions of earth or sandbags into the trench, giving a crenelated appearance when viewed from the air. They also reduced the effect of shells when they landed in the trench.

Traversor mat - A mat made of metal mesh used by the infantry for crossing barbed-wire entanglements.

Trench coat - Officer's, waterproofed cotton, knee-length, belted coat.

Trench foot - Pathological degeneration of the skin of the feet brought on by reduced circulation due to long-term immersion in cold water. Infection (wet gangrene) often followed if neglected.

Trooper - Private in cavalry. Also troop-ship.

T (Tappen)-stoff - German toxic gas: xylyl bromide - lacrimator (tear gas) type.

U

Uhlan - German cavalry lancer.

Uncle Charlie - Full marching order, i.e. full equipment.

V

VAD - Voluntary Aid Detachment.

Valise - Officer's kitbag of leather or canvas.

Very Light - Signal-flare fired from a Very Pistol. (Invented by Samuel Very).

W

Walking wounded - Casualties able to evacuate themselves from the battle field unaided.

Whippet - Light tank.

Whistling Willie - Shell.

White Cross - Austrian toxic gas - bromacetone - lacrimator (tear gas) type. Containers were marked with a white cross.

White Star - German toxic gas: mixture of chlorine and phosgene - lung irritant type. Containers were marked with a white star.

Whizz-Bang - Light shell: descriptive sound of its flight and explosion.

Willie - Originally the Mark I tank- Little Willie; later on, any British tank.

WO - Warrant Officer, i.e. CSM and RSM. Also War Office.

Woodbine - Cheap, popular cigarette.

Wooden track - Wooden, corduroy type, road.

Woolly bear - Effect of dense black smoke produced by a German shell.

X

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Y

Yank - An American serviceman, but also applied to civilians.

Yellow Cross - Highly toxic German gas, a.k.a. Mustard Gas - dichlorethysulphide - vesicator (blistering) type. Most widely used toxic gas in shells in the Great War. The shells were marked with a yellow cross.

Yellow Cross I - German toxic gas - ethyldichoroarsine - sternutator (sneezing and vomiting) type. Also known as Green Cross III. The shells were marked with Yellow or Green Crosses.

Yperite - French version of Mustard Gas - dichlorethylsulphide - toxic gas, vesicant (blistering) type.

Z

Z hour - Zero hour when attack was due to commence.

Zastavnik - Serbian second lieutenant.

ZD - ‘Zentral Departement’, Central Department of the German War Ministry.

Zepp - Zeppelin.

Zeppelin RS-III - German long-range patrol seaplane.

Zeppelin - German airships.

Zeppelin-Staaken R-Type - German heavy bomber.