Abbreviations
AAH- Australian Auxiliary Hospital
AAMC- Australian Army Medical Corps
AANS- Australian Army Nursing Service
ADBD- Australian Division Base Depot
AGH- Australian General Hospital
AIBD- Australian Infantry Base Depot
AFC- Australian Flying Corps
AIF- Australian Imperial Force
AN & MEF- Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force
ANZAC- Australian and New Zealand Army Corps
ASC- Army Service Corps
ASH- Australian Stationary Hospital
AWL- Absent Without Leave
AWM- Australian War Memorial
BEF- British Expeditionary Force
CCS- Casualty Clearing Station
CIC- Commander-in-Chief
DAH- Disordered Action of the Heart
DCM- Distinguished Conduct Medal
DSO- Distinguished Service Order
EDP- Extra Duty Pay
FAB- Field Artillery Brigade
FCE- Field Company Engineers
HMAS- His/Hers Majesty’s Australian Ship
HMAT- His/Hers Majesty’s Australian Transport
HQ- Headquarters
HT- Hired Transport
ICC- Imperial Camel Corps
LHR- Light Horse Regiment
MC- Military Cross
MG- Machine Gun
MIA- Missing in Action
MM- Military Medal
MSM- Meritorious Service Medal
MT- Mechanical/Motor Transport
NCO- Non Commissioned Officer
NZEF- New Zealand Expeditionary Force
POW- Prisoner of War
RAN- Royal Australian Navy
RAP- Regimental Aid Post
RBAA- Reserve Brigade Australian Artillery
RMS- Royal Majesty’s Ship
SS- Service Ship
VC- Victoria Cross
Glossary
Allies- Collective term describing the belligerents fighting against Germany. They included Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Belgium, Greece, Japan, Montenegro, Portugal, Romania,Serbia, and the United States. (This included their respective dominion and colonial forces, such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada and India for Britain and France’s Indochinese and
African colonial troops).
Armistice- Cessation of hostilities.
Blighty- A colloquial term for England
Central Powers- Collective term given to describe the alliance struck between Germany, Austro-Hungary and Italy, before the outbreak of war. Once the war commenced, it denoted the belligerents of Germany, Austro-Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria, as well as their respective dominion and colonial forces.
Eastern Front- Description of the frontier of conflict areas between Germany and Austro-Hungary against Russia, the Balkan states, Italy and Greece.
Hindenburg Line- Also known as the Siegfried Line. Section of the German line devoted to defence. It ran from Neuville Vitasse near Arras to Cerny near Soissons. It was heavily fortified with concrete blockhouses, village buildings, barbed wire and machine guns nests.
Howitzer- An artillery cannon used for high-angle firing.
Lewis Gun- Hand held machine gun
Light Horse- Mounted Infantry
Malaria- Parasite infection of intermittent and remittent fevers, contracted through mosquito bites.
Myalgia- Muscle Pain.
Neurasthenia- A term similar to shell shock, describing a neurological or psychological affliction as a result of war service. It was applied to men who were not officially diagnosed with shell shock or had perplexing symptoms. Officers with shell shock were often stated as to suffer with neurasthenia; for at the time, many within the medical field and in command, believed the term shell shock implied a sense of malingering or weak constitution.
No Man’s Land- Section of neutral ground or field between opposing trench systems.
Pyrexia- Fever.
Rheumatism- Inflammation and pain in joints, muscles or fibrous tissues.
Shell Shock- A term coined during the war to describe men suffering with stupor, paralysis, tremors, delusions or nervous collapse without or following physical injury. Originally believed to be the result of a concussion of brain tissue caused by artillery, it came to classify men with physiological or psychological afflictions as a result of war service. Many remained undiagnosed or untreated for what we now know as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Trench- Channel dug into the ground to provide protection against enemy fire.
Trench Fever- Term given to illness, characterised by fever and debility, caused by body lice.
Trench Foot- Bacterial or fungal infection of the feet and lower legs. Caused by ineffectual macrophages as a result of frostbite, liquid submersion or unsanitary conditions. These circumstances diminish blood circulation and skin tissue, and consequently, inhibit the body’s defences. Thus an infection develops, often leading to decaying flesh and tissue, and therefore amputation.
Triple Alliance- Term describing the pre-war allegiances of Britain, France and Russia.
Western Front- The frontier of the conflict that extended from the Belgian Coast to the Swiss Border, spanning Belgium, France, Luxemburg, and Germany.