| Glossary of Abbreviations | |||
| A | |||
| AA | Anti-Aircraft | ||
| AAC | Army Air Corps | ||
| ACC | Army Catering Corps | ||
| ADC | Army Dental Corps | ||
| ADGB | Air Defence of Great Britain | ||
| AE | Ammunition Examiner | ||
| AFPU | Army Film and Photographic Unit | ||
| AGI | Anti Gas Instructor | ||
| AGRA | Army Group Royal Artillery | ||
| ALFSEA | Allied Land Forces South East Asia | ||
| AM | Air Ministry | ||
| A of S | Arm of Service | ||
| ARP | Air Raid Precautions | ||
| ATA | Air Transport Auxiliary | ||
| ATS | Auxiliary Territorial Service | ||
| Aux | Auxiliary | ||
| B | |||
| BAOR | British Army of the Rhine | ||
| BC | Bren Carrier | ||
| BD | Battledress | ||
| BEF | British Expeditionary Force | ||
| BFIG | British Forces in Greece | ||
| BG | Bren Gunner | ||
| Bn | Battalion | ||
| C | |||
| CD | Civil Defence | ||
| Cdo | Commando | ||
| CMF | Central Mediterranean Force | ||
| CMP | Corps of Military Police | ||
| CO | Commanding Officer | ||
| COHQ | Combined Operations Headquarters | ||
| Coy | Company | ||
| D | |||
| DEMS | Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships | ||
| DM | Driver Mechanic | ||
| DO | Driver Operator | ||
| DR | Despatch Rider | ||
| Div | Division | ||
| E | |||
| ENSA | Entertainments National Service Association | ||
| F | |||
| FANY | First Aid Nursing Yeomanry | ||
| FSP | Field Security Personnel | ||
| G | |||
| GHQ | General Headquarters | ||
| GOC | General Officer Commanding | ||
| GS | General Service | ||
| H | |||
| HAA | Heavy Anti-Aircraft | ||
| HAC | Honourable Artillery Company | ||
| HG | Home Guard/Hotchkiss Gunner | ||
| HQ | Headquarters | ||
| HMS | His Majesty's Service | ||
| I | |||
| Inf | Infantry | ||
| K | |||
| KC | King's Crown | ||
| KD | Khaki Drill | ||
| L | |||
| LAA | Light Anti-Aircraft | ||
| LAC | Leading Aircraftman | ||
| LDV | Local Defence Volunteers | ||
| LFA | Land Forces Adriatic | ||
| LG | Lewis Gun(ner) | ||
| L of C | Lines of Communication | ||
| LMG | Light Machine Gunner | ||
| LRDG | Long Range Desert Group | ||
| M | |||
| MC | Motor Cyclist | ||
| MEF | Middle East Forces | ||
| MELF | Middle East Land Forces | ||
| MTC | Mechanized Transport Corps | ||
| N | |||
| NAAFI | Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes | ||
| O | |||
| OC | Officer Commanding | ||
| OR | Other Ranks | ||
| P | |||
| PAIC | Persia and Iraq Command | ||
| PAIforce | Persia and Iraq Force | ||
| PMRAFNS | Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service | ||
| POW | Prisoner of War | ||
| PTI | Physical Training Instructor | ||
| PWE | Political Warfare Executive | ||
| Q | |||
| QAIMNS | Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service | ||
| QARNNS | Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service | ||
| QI | Qualified Instructor | ||
| R | |||
| RA | Royal Artillery | ||
| RAC | Royal Armoured Corps | ||
| RAF | Royal Air Force | ||
| RAOC | Royal Army Ordnance Corps | ||
| RAPC | Royal Army Pay Corps | ||
| RASC | Royal Army Service Corps | ||
| RAVC | Royal Army Veterinary Corps | ||
| RE | Royal Engineers | ||
| REME | Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers | ||
| RFC | Royal Flying Corps | ||
| RTO | Railway Transport Officer | ||
| RTR | Royal Tank Regiment | ||
| S | |||
| SACSEA | Supreme Allied Command South East Asia | ||
| SASC | Small Arms School Corps | ||
| SD | Service Dress | ||
| SEAC | South East Asia Command | ||
| SHAEF | Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force | ||
| SLO | Searchlight Operator | ||
| SOE | Special Operations Executive | ||
| T | |||
| TA | Territorial Army | ||
| TANS | Territorial Army Nursing Service | ||
| TF | Territorial Force | ||
| TO | Transport Operator | ||
| U | |||
| USAAF | United States Army Air Force | ||
| V | |||
| VAD | Voluntary Aid Detachment | ||
| VB | Volunteer Battalion | ||
| W | |||
| WAAC | Women's Army Auxiliary Corps | ||
| WAAF | Women's Auxiliary Air Force | ||
| WD | War Department | ||
| WLA | Women's Land Army | ||
| WRNS | Women's Royal Naval Service | ||
| WTC | Women's Timber Corps | ||
| WO | War Office | ||