Glossary

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

B

Bomber

Western Australia (RAAF)

Beam

Breadth

Borneo

Balkans clasp to the Australian Service Medal

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)

Base Area Command

Bachquero

An early type of tank landing ship, not constructed but converted for this purpose

BACT

Bacteriological

BAD

Base Air Depot

Base Ammunition Depot

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

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)

Battery Commander

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

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)

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

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

Basic Flying Training School

BG

Brigadier General

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)

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

Bill of Landing

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)

Bridge laying tank

BMA

British Medical Association

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

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

BQMS

Battery Quartermaster Sergeant

Br

Bridge

Book of Reference

Branch

Br Lt

Bandmaster Lieutenant (Naval)

BRA

Bomber Replenishment Area

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)

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)

Base Staff

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

Brevet

British Troops

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

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

Bomber Wing (RAAF)

BWC

Bridge Watchkeeping Certificate

BWI

British West Indies (First World War)

BYMS

British Yacht Minesweeper

British Yard Minesweeper