Memorial Glossary beginning with B

In our collection you will encounter military terminology and acronyms. Here you can find out what they mean:

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(B)
Balloon Branch Officer (RAF)
B
Bomber
B
Western Australia (RAAF)
B
Beam
B
Breadth
B
Borneo
B
Balkans clasp to the Australian Service Medal
B
Base (Title Prefix)
B Aust Div Gp
B Australian Divisional Group (B Aust Div Gp) (Assembling and moving quotas of 2nd Aust Div and 5th Aust Div personnel from Belgium to UK)
B Bty HAC
B Battery, Honourable Artillery Company [First World War British Artillery Unit]
B FD Tp
B Field Troop, Australian Engineers
B FLD TRP AE
B Field Troop, Australian Engineers (served with NZ Mtd Rifles Bde, and diary filed with NZ units) [First World War AIF Engineers Unit]
B1
Airfield with gravel runways with no facilities (RAAF)
B2
Airfield with gravel runways with facilities (RAAF)
BA
Budget Authority
BABS
Beam Approach Beacon System
BAC
Brigade Ammunition Column (First World War)
BAC
Base Area Command
Bachquero
An early type of tank landing ship, not constructed but converted for this purpose
BACT
Bacteriological
BAD
Base Air Depot
BAD
Base Ammunition Depot
BAD
Base British Admiralty Delegation
Badgeman
Wearer of good conduct stripes
BAFF
British Air Forces in France (1939)
BAFG
British Air Forces in Greece (1941)
BAFO
British Air Forces of Occupation (Germany)
BAFSV
British Armed Forces Special Vouchers
Bag
Baggage
BAGS
Bombing and Gunnery School (RAAF)
BAHQ
Base Area Headquarters
BAOR
British Army of Occupation on the Rhine
BAPT
Baptist
BAR
Browning automatic rifle (USA)
BASO
Brigade Air Support Officer
Batt
Battery
BAWRA
British Australian Wool Realisation Association
Bays
The Queen's Bays (2nd Dragoon Guards)
Bazooka
A one man portable projector which, by means of a rocket, projects an anti‑tank bomb about 100 yards
BB
Balloon Barrage
BB
Battleship
BBC
British Broadcasting Corporation
BBCAU
British Borneo Civil Affairs Unit (Second World War)
BBLO
Bombardment Liaison Officer to Brigade Commander
BBP
Bulk Breaking Point
Bbr
Bomber
BBTC
Balloon Barrage Training Center (USA)
BC
Bad Character (British Army Tattoo 19th century)
BC
Battery Commander
BC
Bomber Command (RAAF)
BCAIR
British Commonwealth Air Forces. Air Command of BCOF (British Commonwealth Occupation Force).
BCAR
British Commonwealth Air Forces. Air Command of BCOF (British Commonwealth Occupation Force).
BCAS
Battle Casualty
BCB
British Commonwealth Brigade
BCC
Beach Company Commander
BCF
Battle Cruiser Force
BCFESR
British Commonwealth Far East Strategic Reserve
BCFK
British Commonwealth Force Korea
BCKB
British Commonwealth Korea Base
BCOF
British Commonwealth Occupation Force
BCON
British Commonwealth Occupation News
BCP
Battery Command Post
BCS
Battle Cruiser Squadron
BCST
Broadcast
BCW
Bombardment Calling Wave
BD
Base Depot
BD
Bomb Disposal
BD Co
Base Depot Company (USA)
BDA
Bomb Damage Assessment. Visual or ground reconnaissance of an area to determine the result of an air strike. (Allied Forces, Vietnam)
BDA
Burma Defence Army
Bde
Brigade
Bde Am Col
Brigade Ammunition Column
Bde Gp
Brigade Group
Bde Maj
Brigade Major
Bdgt
Budget
BDLS
British Defence Liaison Staff
BDO
Boom Defence Officer
Bdr
Bombardier
BDRY
Boundary
BDS
Beach Dressing Station
BDS
Bomb Disposal Squad
BDSM
Bandsman
Bdy
Boundary
BE
Belgium
BEAC
British East Asia Command
Bedfs Herts
The Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment
BEF
British Expeditionary Force (First World War)
BEM
British Empire Medal
BEO
British Education Officer
BEQ
Batchelor Enlisted Quarters
BER
Beyond Economical Repair
BF
Bring Friend
BFM
Basic Field Manual (USA)
BFPO
Branch Field Post Office
BFTS
Basic Flying Training School
BFTS
Basic Flying Training School
BG
Brigadier General
BG
Bomber Group (RAAF)
BG 2nd ANZAC Corps Hvy Arty
Brigadier General, 2nd ANZAC Corps Heavy Artillery [First World War AIF Artillery Unit]
BG R'way
Broad Guage Railway
Bgde
Brigade
BGGS
Brigadier General, General Staff
BGHA
Brigadier General (Commanding) Heavy Artillery
BGRA
Brigadier General, Royal Artillery
BGRO
Broad Gauge Railway Operations
BGROC
Broad Gauge Railway Operating Company
BGS
Brigadier, General Staff
BHD
Beach Head
BHQ
Brigade Headquarters
BIA
Burma Independence Army
BIH
Bosnian government (Peacekeeping)
BIO
Base Intelligence Officer (Navy)
BIO
Brigade Intelligence Officer
BIOL
Biological
BIPOD
Bulk Issue Petrol and Oil Depot
Bird Dog
United States spotter or light aircraft (Vietnam War)
BIS
British Interservice Communication
BITE
Built in Test Equipment
BIV
Bivouac
BKS
Barracks
BKSELEC
Barracks Electrician
BKSO
Barracks Officer
BL
Breech loading
BL
Bill of Landing
BL
Back Load
BLA
British Liberation Army
Black Horse
United States Base to the north of Nui Dat, base for 11ACR (Armoured Cavalry Regiment) Vietnam War
Black Watch
The Black Watch (Royal Highlanders)
BLO
Bombardment Liaison Officer
BLP
Back Loading Point
BLR
Beyond Local Repair
BLT
Battalion Landing Team (USA)
BLT
Bridge laying tank
BM
Brigade Major (after rank)
BM
Sailor from the Boatswain’s Mate category – attends to ships husbandry and seamanship evolutions
BM
Ballistic Missile
BMA
British Medical Association
BMA
Brigade Maintenance Area
BMHA
Brigade Major Heavy Artillery
BMNT
Beginning Morning Nautical Twilight
BMRA
Brigade Major, Royal Artillery
BMS
Base Medical Store (RAAF)
BMSS
Boxes Metal Shipping Steel
Bn
Battalion
Bn
Billion
Bn HQ
Battalion Headquarters
BNB
British North Borneo (Second World War)
BNLP
British Naval Liaison Party
BOAC
British Overseas Airways Corporation
BOD
Base Ordnance Depot
Bofors
Light anti‑aircraft artillery
BOILATT
Boiler Attendant
BOMREP
Bombing Report
BOQ
Batchelor Officers' Quarters
BOR
Base Operations Room (RAAF)
Border
The Border Regiment
Bore
Internal diameter of the barrel of a gun
BORs
British Other Ranks
Bottom Plates
The lowest level or floor of the main machinery space
BP
Bearing Picket. A gun site marker to confirm direction.
BPC
Bulk Petrol Company
BPO
Base Post Office (USA)
BPS
Bulk Petroleum Storage
BPSO
Base Personnel Staff Officer (RAAF)
BPSO
Base Torpedo Unit
BPSO
Blind Pilotage Safety Officer – The officer who assists in the safe navigation of the ship, particularyl in poor visibility, and provides a check on visual pilotage
BQMS
Battery Quartermaster Sergeant
Br
Bridge
Br
Book of Reference
Br
Branch
Br Lt
Bandmaster Lieutenant (Naval)
BRA
Bomber Replenishment Area
BRA
Brigadier, Royal Artillery
BRCS
British Red Cross Society (First World War)
BRH
Bridgehead
BRIAM
British Advisory Mission Vietnam. Advises Government of [South] Vietnam (GVN) on hamlet programs & counter insurgency generally. "Malaya experts".
BRICOSAT
British Commonwealth Sub Area, Tokyo
Brig
Brigade (USA)
Brig
Brigadier
BRIG ADM
Brigadier in Charge of Administration
Brig Gen
Brigadier General
BRIMOB
Mobile Brigade (Indonesian security forces)
BRINDIV
British Indian Division
BRINJAP
British Indian Troops in Japan
BRIT COM
British Commonwealth Base
BRLO
Burials Officer
BRM
Bombing Research Mission
BRO
Brigade Routine Orders
BS
Bomber Squadron (RAAF)
BS
Base Staff
BS
Base Squadron
BS/MS
Bronze Star for Meritorious service (USA)
BS/V
Bronze Star for Valour (USA)
BSA
Base Support Area
BSAG
Battleship Surface Attack Group
BSC
British Supply Council
BSD
Base Supply Depot
BSE
British Supervisory Element
BSEA
Base Staff, East Australian Area
BSIP
British Solomon Islands Protectorate
BSIPDF
British Solomon Islands Protectorate Defence Force
BSM
Battery Sergeant Major (A warrant officer)
BSMITH
Blacksmith
BSQ
Base Sick Quarters
BSR
Basic Survey Recorder (Course)
BSSEA
Base Staff, South East Australian Area
Bt
Baronet
BT
Brevet
BT
British Troops
BT
Bathythermograph
BT Malaria
Benign Tertian malaria (Second World War)
BTE
British Troops in Egypt
Btn
Battalion
BTO
Brigade Transport Officer
Btry
Battery (USA)
BTU
Base Torpedo/Transport Unit (RAAF)
Bty
Battery, comprises of 2 Troops
BU
Bath Unit
Bu
Bulgaria
BUCO
Build up Control Organisation (Normandy landings)
Buffs
The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment)
Bulkhead
The side or wall of a compartment
BUMET
Bureau of Meteorology
Bushranger
RAAF Light Fire Team (Vietnam War)
BUSRA
British United States Routeing Agreement (Shipping 39/45)
BW
Bullet Wound
BW
Bomber Wing (RAAF)
BWC
Bridge Watchkeeping Certificate
BWI
British West Indies (First World War)
BYMS
British Yacht Minesweeper
BYMS
British Yard Minesweeper