THE MILITARY, TECHNICAL and slang terms that sometimes appear in the documents used for this book may not be familiar to most readers. The following list should be helpful.
AB able bodied seaman
Ack emma am, the morning
ADS advanced dressing station
ASC army service corps
Batman personal assistant to an officer
Billyjim or Billjim terms sometimes used for an Australian soldier in World War I
Blanky euphemism for ‘bloody’, or any other swear word
Bn, or Bat Battalion
(the) Boche (sometimes as Bosche) Germans
CO commanding officer
DCM Distinguished Conduct Medal
DSO Distinguished Service Order
‘Eggsers’ 28th Battalion AIF, from their battle cry ‘Eggs-a-cook’
Enfilade to fire into a trench or enemy position from a number of sides at once
Minenwerfer German artillery piece, World War I
MM military medal
NCO non-commissioned officer
OC officer in charge
Pip emma pm, the afternoon
QMS quartermaster’s store
Sap a tunnel or trench
TB torpedo boat
VC Victoria Cross
WAAC (sometimes as ‘Waacs’) Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps
Woodbine derogatory term for the British, derived from the brand name of the cheap cigarettes they usually smoked
WT wireless telegraph
8 chevaux ou 40 hommes French for ‘8 horses or 40 men’, a sign commonly stencilled to the side of French rail wagons in which many troops were transported in World War I