WW2 service record abbreviations: the full glossary

WW2 service record abbreviations follow a pattern. Most entries say who, what and where: a rank, an action such as taken on strength (TOS) or struck off strength (SOS), a unit and a theatre. Learn about 60 common terms and you can read most British Army records. This glossary groups them by job.

Every meaning below comes from the researchingww2.co.uk glossary, which covers British and Indian Army terms. Where a term has several meanings, we say so.

How to read WW2 service record abbreviations

Read each line as a sentence. A typical entry has four parts:

1. Date. Day, month, year, often written 12.3.43.
2. Action. Posted, attached, TOS, SOS, embarked, promoted.
3. Unit. Battalion, battery, company or depot.
4. Reference. Often a note of the order or authority that recorded the change.

So “TOS 2 Bn 12.3.43” reads: taken on the strength of the 2nd Battalion on 12 March 1943. That is the whole trick. The rest is vocabulary.

Postings and movements

These tell you where he was. They are the most useful words on the record, because they feed the war diary.

“Attached” matters. A man could be attached to another unit while still belonging to his own. Check both units’ war diaries for those dates.

What do the rank abbreviations mean?

Rank is usually written before the name and changes often. Acting and lance ranks came and went.

The private’s title tells you the arm. A gunner was artillery. A sapper was an engineer. A trooper served in cavalry or armour. That alone narrows the search.

Watch for prefixes. W/S means war substantive, and an A prefix can mark an acting rank (the glossary lists A.Hav, Acting Havildar, from the Indian Army). Both show his rank changing, so note the dates.

Units and formations

Numbers matter as much as letters. Write the full unit string down exactly as it appears, including any fraction such as 2/5, because each numbered battalion kept its own war diary.

Regiments and corps

Corps names are abbreviated everywhere. These are the ones families meet most.

Transfers between corps happen in many records. Each one means a new unit to trace, so log the date and the new corps.

Which theatre abbreviations appear on WW2 records?

Theatre names tell you which campaign he was part of. They also hint at which WW2 medals he could claim.

BAOR points to service in occupied Germany at or after the war’s end. Check the dates before assuming he fought there.

Casualty, medical and discipline terms

These lines are often the hardest to read and the most important.

A run of medical stations in sequence (RAP, ADS, CCS, BGH) often traces a wounded man’s evacuation back down the line. A prisoner entry should send you to our guide on tracing a prisoner of war.

Awards and officers

Spot MM, DCM or MID? Search the London Gazette. Our guide to WW2 gallantry awards shows how.

When one abbreviation means two things

Context decides. The glossary lists several meanings for many short forms:

• SOS: Struck Off Strength, Static Officers Shop, Senior Officers School.
• OR: Other Rank, or Orderly Room.
• DCM: Distinguished Conduct Medal, or District Court Martial.
• CO: Commanding Officer, or Conscientious Objector.
• TOS: Taken on Strength, or Terms of Service.

A District Court Martial and a gallantry medal look identical on a cramped form. Check the column the entry sits in, and whether a London Gazette notice exists.

Tips for cramped handwriting

• Copy letter by letter. Do not guess while transcribing. Mark doubtful letters with a question mark.
• Compare with other entries. The same clerk often wrote several lines. His capital B on one line unlocks another.
• Check the dates run in order. If they don’t, you have probably misread a month.
• Search the glossary for fragments. Thousands of terms are listed, many with unit-specific forms.
• Don’t force a meaning. Leave it blank and move on. A war diary often explains it later.

Next steps

Decode the record, then build a timeline. Our main guide to WW2 Army service records shows how. Then find which battalion he served in and match each posting to its war diary.

FAQ: WW2 service record abbreviations

What does TOS mean on a WW2 service record?

Taken on strength. The date a soldier joined a unit's books. It can also mean Terms of Service, so read it in context. It is usually paired with SOS, struck off strength, when he left.

What does SOS mean on an army record?

On a service record it nearly always means struck off strength: the date he left a unit. The same letters can also stand for Static Officers Shop or Senior Officers School, but those are rare in other ranks' records.

What does CMF mean on a WW2 record?

Central Mediterranean Force, the Italian theatre. MEF is Middle East Force, BNAF British North Africa Force and BLA British Liberation Army, used for north-west Europe.

What is the difference between Sjt and Sgt?

None in rank. Both mean sergeant. Sjt abbreviates the spelling serjeant, which appears in many Army records. Sgt is the same rank.

Where can I find a full list of WW2 army abbreviations?

The glossary at researchingww2.co.uk holds thousands of British and Indian Army abbreviations. The National Archives points researchers to it, and to the Ministry of Defence's own acronyms list for modern terms.

Sources

Checked 31 October 2026.

1. Researching WW2 Soldiers: WW2 abbreviations and acronyms
2. The National Archives: British Army soldiers in service after 1918
3. The National Archives: British Army operations in the Second World War
4. The National Archives: British prisoners of the Second World War and Korean War