Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation


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Glossary


1AM          Air Mechanic 1st Class

2AM          Air Mechanic 2nd Class

2 Lt            2nd Lieutenant

3AM          Air Mechanic 3rd Class

AC             Aircraftman

AC1            Aircraftman 1st Class

AC2            Aircraftman 2nd Class

ACH           Aircrafthand

ACH/FM    Aircrafthand/Flight Mechanic

ACH/GD    Aircrafthand/General Duties

ACW          Aircraftwoman

ACW1        Aircraftwoman 1st Class

ACW2        Aircraftwoman 2nd Class

A/Cdre       Air Commodore - 1 star rank (equivalent to Brigadier and Commodore)

ACM         Air Chief Marshal  - 4 star rank (equivalent to General and Admiral)

Act             Acting

ADGB       Air Defence of Great Britain

Adm           Admiral

AG             Air Gunner

AHQ         Air Headquarters

AM            Air Marshal - 3 star rank (equivalent to Lieutenant-General and Vice-Admiral)

AM1          Airman 1st Class

AVM         Air Vice-Marshal - 2 star rank (equivalent to Major-General and Rear Admiral)

AOA         Air Officer in charge of Administration

AOC         Air Officer Commanding

AOC in C  Air Officer Commanding in Chief

Ass Paym   Assistant Paymaster

Brig-Gen   Brigadier-General (This rank ceased to exist in the British Army in 1922, being replaced by Brigadier)

Capt          Captain

Cdr           Commander

Cdre         Commodore

Cdt             Cadet

Chap           Chaplain

Clk 2          Clerk 2nd Class

Clk 3          Clerk 3rd Class

Col             Colonel

Cpl             Corporal

C/T             Chief Technician

EPAS          Equipment Provisioning & Accounting Section

F IIA          Fitter II (Airframes)

F IIE          Fitter II (Engines)

FAA           Fleet Air Arm of the RAF (until July 1937, when it was control reverted to the Royal Navy)

Fg Off        Flying Officer (equivalent to Lieutenant in the Army and Sub-Lieutenant in the Navy)

Flt              Flight (a sub division of a squadron)

Flt Cdr       Flight Commander

Flt Cdt        Flight Cadet

Flt Lt         Flight Lieutenant (equivalent to Captain in the Army and Lieutenant in the Navy)

FMA           Flight Mechanic (Airframes)

FME           Flight Mechanic (Engines)

Flt Sgt        Flight Sergeant

Gen           General

GOC         General Officer Commanding

Gp Capt    Group Captain (equivalent to Colonel in the Army and Captain in the Navy)

HQ           Headquarters

J/T            Junior Technician

LAC          Leading Aircraftman

LACW          Leading Aircraftwoman

L/Cpl         Lance Corporal (Army and RAF Regiment)

Lt              Lieutenant

Lt Cdr      Lieutenant Commander

Lt-Col       Lieutenant-Colonel

Lt-Gen      Lieutenant-General   

Maj           Major

Maj-Gen   Major-General

Mech          Mechanic

Mem         Member (WRAF)

Mid'n        Midshipman

MRAF      Marshal of the RAF - 5 star rank (equivalent to Field Marshal and Admiral of the Fleet - discontinued in 1999)

Paym          Paymaster

PFO           Probationary Flight Officer

Plt Off        Pilot Officer (equivalent to 2nd Lieutenant in the Army, no equivalent in the Navy)  

Pvt              Private

Pvt 1           Private 1st Class

Pvt 2           Private 2nd Class

Pvt 3           Private 3rd Class

QMS           Quartermaster Sergeant

R-Adm       Rear Admiral

RFC           Royal Flying Corps

RNAS        Royal Naval Air Service

RUSI          Royal United Services Institute

SAC           Senior Aircraftman

SACW       Senior Aircraftwoman

SASO        Senior Air Staff Officer

Sgt             Sergeant

S/T             Senior Technician

SWO          Station Warrant Officer

QFI            Qualified Flying Instructor

QWI           Qualified Weapons Instructor

Sqn             Squadron

Sqn Cdr     Squadron Commander

Sqn Ldr     Squadron Leader (equivalent to Major in the Army and Lieutenant Commander in the Navy)

(T)              Temporary

V-Adm      Vice-Admiral  

Wg Cdr     Wing Commander (equivalent to Lieutenant Colonel in the Army and Commander in the Navy)

W/O           Warrant Officer

WOp          Wireless Operator

(WS)          War Substantive

WSO          Weapons Systems Officer/Operator

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