World War I medal abbreviations

When a World War I medal was issued, it was issued with a Service Number, Rank, Name and Regiment. This information should be on every medal that was issued during the First World War.

During World War I, there were four main medals issued, these were 1914 Star, 1914-15 Star, Victory Medal, British War Medal. Although these four were the main medals issued there were many other medals around in World War I.

Service Number
From a service number it is sometimes possible to determine in which part of the army a medal holder served. However, this is not always the case; this does not apply to the Silver War Badge (SWB), which has its own code.

Prefix letters and numbers
The following is an estimated list of all the Prefix Letter & Numbers.


 * /X - Royal Navy & Royal Marines After divisional letters indicates new pay code enlistment
 * 1/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force Samoan Advance Force
 * 10/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force Wellington Rifles
 * 11/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force Wellington Mounted Rifles
 * 12/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force Auckland Rifles
 * 13/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force Auckland Mounted Rifles
 * 14/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force Army Service Corps Divisional Train
 * 15/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force Headquarters Staff
 * 15/ - West Yorkshire Regiment 15th (Leeds Pals) Battalion
 * 16/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force Maori Battalion
 * 17/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force New Zealand Veterinary Corps
 * 18/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force New Zealand Chaplains Department
 * 19/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force Samoan Relief Force, Infantry
 * 2/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force Royal New Zealand Artillery
 * 20/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force Samoan Relief Force, Mounted Rifles
 * 21/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force New Zealand Army Pay Corps
 * 22/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force New Zealand Nursing Service
 * 23/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force 1st Battalion, New Zealand Rifle Brigade
 * 24/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force 2nd Battalion, New Zealand Rifle Brigade
 * 25/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force 3rd Battalion, New Zealand Rifle Brigade
 * 26/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force 4th Battalion, New Zealand Rifle Brigade
 * 3/ - Seaforth Highlanders 3rd (Reserve) Battalion
 * 3/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force New Zealand Medical Corps
 * 3/ - Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry 3rd (Reserve) Battalion
 * 3/ - Royal Berkshire Regiment 3rd (Reserve) Battalion
 * 3/ - Gordon Highlanders 3rd (Reserve) Battalion
 * 3/ - Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders 3rd (Reserve) Battalion
 * 3/ - Royal Highlanders 3rd (Reserve) Battalion
 * 3/ - Cameron Highlanders 3rd (Reserve) Battalion
 * 4/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force New Zealand Engineers
 * 4/ - Royal Irish Rifles 4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion
 * 5/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force New Zealand Army Service Corps
 * 5/ - Connaught Rangers 5th (Service) Battalion
 * 6/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force Canterbury Infantry
 * 7/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force Canterbury Mounted Rifles
 * 8/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force Otago Rifles
 * 9/ - New Zealand Expeditionary Force Otago Mounted Rifles
 * A - Army Service Corps Old Army Special Reserve
 * A - King's Royal Rifle Corps Early wartime recruits
 * A - Royal Scots Fusiliers 3rd (Reserve) Battalion
 * A - King's Own Scottish Borderers 3rd (Reserve) Battalion
 * A - Highland Light Infantry 3rd (Reserve) Battalion
 * A - Scottish Rifles 3rd (Reserve) Battalion
 * A - Army Ordnance Corps
 * A - Royal Fleet Reserve First period of enlistment
 * A - Royal Navy Alexandria (World War II Only)
 * A - Australia Silver War Badge Prefix
 * A (HT) - Army Service Corps Horse Transport Special Reserve
 * AA - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Anti-Aircraft
 * ARMR - Army Ordnance Corps Armourer
 * ASE - Army Service Corps
 * ASR - Army Service Corps
 * B - Royal Fusiliers 26th (Banker's) Battalion
 * B - Royal Fleet Reserve Second Period of Enlistment
 * B - King's Royal Rifle Corps
 * B - Highland Light Infantry Service No. 21000 onwards all ex-RA / Cavalry
 * B - Highland Light Infantry 4th (Special Reserve) Battalion
 * B - Scottish Rifles 4th (Special Reserve) Battalion
 * B - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Bristol Division
 * B - Unknown Silver War Badge Prefix
 * B - Army Service Corps Special Reserve
 * B (HT) - Army Service Corps Horse Transport Special Reserve TF
 * BZ - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Bristol Division wartime enlistment
 * C - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Clyde Division
 * C - King's Royal Rifle Corps 16th Battalion onwards enlistment
 * C - Royal Fleet Reserve 3rd Period of Enlistment
 * C - Royal Munster Fusiliers 1st Garrison Battalion
 * C - Middlesex Regiment
 * C - Rifle Brigade
 * C - Royal Fleet Reserve Chatham
 * C - Royal Navy Chatham
 * C (MT) - Army Service Corps Mechanical Transport Special Reserve
 * CAT - Army Service Corps Caterpillar Mechanical Transport
 * CH - Royal Marines Chatham Division Royal Marine Light Infantry
 * CH - Royal Fleet Reserve Chatham
 * CH/RMP - Royal Marine Police Chatham
 * CHT - Army Service Corps, Corps of Horse Transport
 * CMT - Army Service Corps, Corps of Motor Transport
 * CZ - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Clyde Division wartime enlsitment
 * D - Dragoons
 * D - Royal Fleet Reserve Devonport
 * D - Royal Navy Devonport
 * DEAL - Royal Marines Deal Depot
 * DEPOT / D - Royal Marine Light Infantry Deal Depot Permanent Staff
 * DEV - Royal Fleet Reserve Devonport
 * DM2 - Army Service Corps Mechanical Transport Learners, discontinued 11/16
 * E - Royal Fusiliers 17th (Empire) Battalion
 * E - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Birmingham Electrical Volunteers
 * E - Army Service Corps Forage (ordinary rates of army pay)
 * EX - Royal Marines Exton Division (World War II Only)
 * F - Middlesex Regiment 17th & 23rd (Football) Battalions
 * F - Royal Naval Air Service
 * F - Army Service Corps Forage (not paid from Army Funds)
 * F - Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm
 * FAA - Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm (World War II Only)
 * G - Royal Irish Fusiliers 1st, 2nd 3rd (Garrison) Battalion
 * G - Home Counties Regiments New Army men and later
 * GOA - Royal Navy Goa
 * GS - British Army General Service Enlistment
 * GSR - Royal Sussex Regiment Special Reserve, enlisted under hostilities only terms
 * GSSR - Royal Sussex Regiment Special Reserve, enlisted under hostilities only terms
 * H - Hussars
 * H - Hussars
 * H - North Irish Horse Given to all on strength in mid-1917
 * I - India Silver War Badge Prefix
 * J - Royal Navy Seaman branch Prefix
 * J - Royal Fusiliers 38th, 39th 40th, 42nd (Judean) Battalions
 * J - Royal Navy Seamen and Communications
 * K - "Kitchener battalion"???
 * K - Royal Navy Stokers
 * K - Royal Fusiliers 22nd (Kensington) Battalion
 * K - Royal Navy Stokers and Mechanicians
 * KP - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Crystal Palace Enlistment from Kitchener's New Armies
 * KW - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Crystal Palace Enlistment from Kitchener's New Armies
 * KX - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Crystal Palace Enlistment from Kitchener's New Armies
 * L - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve London Division
 * L - Lancers
 * L - Home Counties Regiments Regulars
 * L - Royal Artillery Wartime enlistment
 * L - South Wales Borderers 3rd (Reserve) Battalion
 * L - Lancers
 * L - Royal Navy Officers' Stewards, some Officers' Cooks
 * L - Royal Navy Lee-on-Solent (FAA)
 * LSR - Royal Sussex Regiment Special Reserve, enlisted under regular terms
 * LT - Royal Navy Lowestoft (World War II Only)
 * LT - Royal Navy Lowestoft (World War II Only)
 * LZ - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve London Division wartime enlistment
 * M - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Mersey Division
 * M - Army Service Corps Mechanical Transport
 * M - Royal Navy Miscellaneous enlistments (e.g. writers etc.)
 * M - Royal Navy Others -Artificers, Electrical, Supply etc.
 * M1 & 2/(SR) - Army Service Corps Enlisted Special Reserve for New Armies
 * M1, 2 - Army Service Corps Mechanical Transport
 * MALTA - Royal Navy Malta
 * MB - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Motor Boat Reserve
 * MC - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Mine Clearance Service
 * MFA - Mercantile Fleet Auxiliary
 * MN - Merchant Navy Silver War Badge Prefix
 * MS - Army Service Corps Mechanical Specials
 * MZ - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Mersey Division wartime enlistment
 * N - Royal Army Medical Corps
 * N - Royal Navy NAAFI staff (World War II Only)
 * NZ - New Zealand Silver War Badge Prefix
 * O - Rifle Brigade
 * O - Unknown Silver War Badge Prefix
 * P - Military Foot Police
 * P - Royal Fleet Reserve Portsmouth
 * P - Royal Navy Portsmouth
 * P - Dragoon Guards
 * PET - Army Service Corps Petroleum Dept
 * PLY - Royal Marines Plymouth Division RMLI
 * PLY/RMP - Royal Marine Police Plymouth
 * PO - Royal Marines Portsmouth Division RMLI
 * PO - Royal Fleet Reserve Portsmouth
 * PO/RMP - Royal Marine Police Portsmouth
 * Prefix Unit Designation
 * PS - Royal Fusiliers 18th, 19th, 20th & 21st (Public Schools) Battalions
 * PS - Middlesex Regiment 16th (Public Schools) Battalion
 * PW - Middlesex Regiment 18th, 19th & 26th (Public Works) Battalions
 * PZ - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Crystal Palace Enlistment from civilian life
 * R Royal Navy Rosyth (World War II Only)
 * R - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Royal Naval Division
 * R - Army Service Corps Remounts
 * R - King's Royal Rifle Corps Later recruits up to 16th Battalion
 * R - Army Service Corps Army Remount Section
 * R4, RX4 - Army Service Corps 1st/2nd/3rd/4th New Armies Remounts
 * RAF - Royal Air Force Silver War Badge Prefix
 * RM - Royal Marines Silver War Badge Prefix
 * RMA - Royal Marines Royal Marine Artillery
 * RMB - Royal Marines Royal Marine Band
 * RME - Royal Marines Royal Marine Engineers
 * RN - Royal Navy Silver War Badge Prefix
 * RS & R/TS - Army Service Corps Remount Specials
 * RX - Army Service Corps Army Remount Section
 * S - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Sussex Division
 * S - Army Service Corps Supply Branch
 * S - Scottish Regiments Wartime Enlistment
 * S - Army Service Corps Supply Branch
 * S - Royal Army Medical Corps
 * S - Royal Artillery
 * S - Highland Regiments Wartime Enlistment
 * S - Home Counties Regiments 3rd Battalion
 * S - Rifle Brigade
 * S - Royal Munster Fusiliers
 * S - Army Ordnance Corps
 * S - Dorset Regiment
 * S1, 2, 3, 4 - Army Service Corps 1st/2nd/3rd/4th New Armies Supply (S4 Labour)
 * SA - South Africa Silver War Badge Prefix
 * SD - Sussex Regiment 11th, 12th & 13th (South Downs) Battalions
 * SE - Army Veterinary Corps 9th Section
 * SF - Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm (Short Service)
 * SK - Royal Navy Stokers (Short Service)
 * SM - Royal Navy Miscellaneous (Short Service)
 * SPTS Royal Fusiliers 23rd & 24th (Sportsman) Battalions
 * SR - British Army Special Reserve ?
 * SRMT - Army Service Corps Special Reserve Motor Transport
 * SS - Army Service Corps Supply Specials
 * SS - Royal Navy Seamen and Communications (Short Service)
 * STK - Royal Fusiliers 10th (Stockbroker's) Battalion
 * SWS - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Shore Wireless Service
 * SZ - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Sussex Division wartime enlistment
 * T - Army Service Corps Horse Transport
 * T - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Tyne Division
 * T - Army Ordnance Corps
 * T - Territorial Force
 * T1 & 2/(SR) - Army Service Corps Enlisted Special Reserve for New Armies
 * T1, 2, 3, 4 - Army Service Corps 1st/2nd/3rd/4th New Armies Horse Transport
 * TF - Territorial Force
 * TR - Trimmer (Royal Navy, Mercantile Fleet Auxiliary etc.)
 * TS - Army Service Corps Transport Specials
 * TT - Army Veterinary Corps Territorial Force ?
 * TZ - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Tyne Division wartime enlistment
 * W - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Wales Division
 * W - Cheshire Regiment 13th (Wirral) Battalion
 * W - Royal Artillery 38th (Welsh) Division
 * WR - Royal Engineers Waterways and Railways
 * WT4 - Army Service Corps Welsh ?????
 * WZ - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Wales Division wartim enlistment
 * Y - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Deferred enlistment (replaced by divisional prefix on actual enlistment)
 * Y - King's Royal Rifle Corps Early wartime enlistment
 * Z - Rifle Brigade

Abbreviations for Rank and Unit
There are many abbreviations for the rank and unit of a man. The National archive gives full listings of both Ranks and Units in which he might have served.

Medal Card Abbreviations

 * CRV - Certified Receipt Voucher

Theatres Of War Up to 31 December 1915 From 1 January 1916

1.......................................1 Western Europe

.........................................a France and Belgium

.........................................b Italy

2.......................................2 Balkans

.........................................a Greek Macedonia, Serbia, Bulgaria and European Turkey

.........................................b Gallipoli (Dardanelles)

3.......................................3 Russia (4–5 August 1914 to 1–2 July 1920)

4.......................................4 Egypt

.........................................a 4–5 November 1914 to 18–19 March 1916 

.........................................b 18–19 March 1916 to 31 October - 1 November 1918

5.......................................5 Africa

.........................................a East Africa, Nyasaland and Northern Rhodesia 

.........................................b South West Africa

.........................................c Cameroon

.........................................d Nigeria

.........................................e Togoland

6.......................................6 Asia

.........................................a Hedjaz

.........................................b Mesopotamia

.........................................c Persia

.........................................d Trans Caspia

.........................................e South West Arabia

.........................................f Aden

.........................................g Frontier regions of India

.........................................h Tsingtau

7.......................................7 Australasia

.........................................a New Britain

.........................................b New Ireland

.........................................c Kaiser Wilhelmland

.........................................d Admiralty Islands

.........................................e Nauru

.........................................f German Samoa