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Titles
ROYAL NAVY
Refer to the Royal Navy (caps), thereafter the Navy (retain the cap); naval
is l/c except in titles such as Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) etc.
Ships are styled HMS Achilles or the Achilles. They should
generally be treated as feminine; thus she and her rather
than it and its. Ships are named, not christened. Note
that Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships are entitled RFA, eg, RFA Fort George
(not HMS...)
General terms
alter (not change) course
Armed Forces, Armed Services, the Services (caps), but l/c serviceman,
servicewoman. Also cap Service and Force when
used adjectivally as in a Service family
astern (never behind or following), eg, the Achilles
was astern of the Ajax
Bar capped in reference to military award, eg, DSO and Bar
Britannia, the former Royal Yacht
company in the Royal Navy, ships do not have crews, they have
ship's company
embarked in, not on
the Fleet (cap)
line ahead, not astern
moored or made fast; vessels are never tied
up
navy ships: classes are capped, but rom not ital (Leander Class, etc)
on board is preferable to aboard
pennant, not pendant
ratings, not other ranks, in the Navy
Royal Marines (caps)
SBS, the Special Boat Service (no longer Squadron)
serving in a warship (but on a merchant
ship); an officer is appointed to serve in HMS Sheffield,
not posted to serve... Also note that sailors serve in a submarine,
even though subs are boats
signalman, not signaller
submarines are called boats (not ships) in
the Royal Navy
tow: the towing ship has the towed ship in tow; the
towed ship is under tow
Union Flag (not Union Jack) in naval contexts, except when
flown at the jackstaff
under way
weigh anchor (not ship anchor, which would mean that
a ship had left her anchor at the bottom of the sea)
Ranks
a. Prefer not to abbreviate ranks in text of news stories; however, in
lists of promotions etc on the Court Page, the following abbreviations will
apply: Adm, Cdre (Commodore), Capt, Cdr (Commander), Lt-Cdr, Lt, CPO (Chief
Petty Officer), L/S (Leading Seaman).
b. Times style is to hyphenate those ranks consisting of
a compound of two individual designations, eg, Lieutenant-Commander,
Commandant-General, Surgeon-Captain; also any rank with vice or rear, eg,
Vice-Admiral, Rear-Admiral. We should also hyphenate Commander-in-Chief
c. A flag officer is a rear-admiral or above, exercising command and
authorised by the Admiralty to fly a flag. The following are flag ranks:
Admiral of the Fleet, Admiral, Vice-Admiral, Rear-Admiral. Although the Duke
of Edinburgh is an Admiral of the Fleet, the Fleet is actually commanded by
an admiral whose job title is Commander-in-Chief Fleet (CinC Fleet)
THE ARMY
The Army is capped when referred to as the Service, eg, "Two hundred new
tanks were bought by the Army yesterday'', or "He denied that he hated
the Army''; but l/c when used adjectivally, eg, "An army raid was
launched yesterday on the front line... '', or "An army spokesman
rejected the suggestion...''
Give soldiers their full title at first mention, eg, General Herbert
Carruthers, thereafter General Carruthers or the general. Never refer to
them as Mr in news stories.
General terms
assault rifle an outmoded term to be avoided. The British
Army standard SA80 is a rifle
beating retreat (not beating the retreat)
guards of honour are ceremonial troops used to greet visiting
dignitaries; like all guards, they are mounted, as sentries
are posted
The King's Own Royal Border Regiment (full title)
King's Troop, RHA, remains thus even though the Sovereign is
the Queen
Last Post (not the) is sounded, not
played
parade: troops march through the streets; they do not parade
Royal Corps of Signals may be contracted to Royal Signals
(not RCS)
Royal Engineers can be abbreviated to RE (not REs)
Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME for short,
never Reme)
The Royal Welch Fusiliers, but Welsh Guards
SAS, the Special Air Service (regiment). See SBS under Royal
Navy
Trooping the Colour (not Trooping of the Colour)
trumpeters, buglers: cavalry regiments have trumpeters,
infantry regiments have buglers. They are not interchangeable
warrant officers in the British Army, regimental sergeant-major and
company sergeant-major are warrant officer ranks (between the NCOs and
commissioned officers)
Ranks and regiments
One of the trickiest areas is when to include The as part of the name
of regiments. The answer is ALWAYS to check with an up-to-date Army List;
with defence cuts and the amalgamation of regiments in the past few years,
titles have changed rapidly, so checking is imperative.
General styles as follows:
Companies: A Company, B Battery, 94 (Locating) Battery, C
Squadron
Battalions: 1st, 2nd etc, and 1st/5th, 6l Field Regiment, RA
Brigades: 24 Infantry Brigade, 5 Airborne Brigade
Divisions: 7th Armoured Division
Corps: X Corps, XII Corps
Armies : First Army
Army Groups: 21 Army Group
With ranks, the same guidance on abbreviation and hyphenation applies as to
the Royal Navy (see previous sections):
a. Prefer not to abbreviate ranks in text of news stories; however, in
lists of promotions etc on the Court Page, the following abbreviations will
apply; Gen; Lt-Gen; Maj-Gen; Brig; Col; Lt-Col; Maj; Capt; Lt; 2nd Lt; WO1
(Warrant Officer Class 1); WO2; S Sgt (Staff Sergeant); Sgt; Cpl; Bdr
(Bombardier); L Cpl; Pte (Private); Gdsmn (Guardsman); Gnr (Gunner); Rfn
(Rifleman).
b. Hyphenate those ranks consisting of a compound of two individual
designations, eg, Major-General, Lieutenant-General, Lieutenant-Colonel,
Sergeant-Major etc, but not compounds such as Staff Sergeant, Lance
Corporal. (Note that Brigadier-General does not exist in the British Army,
though it does, eg, in the American and French).
c. Chief of Defence Staff: a naval Chief of Defence Staff becomes
Admiral Sir John Jones; an army one is General Sir John Jones; and an air
force one is Air Chief Marshal Sir John Jones, in each case followed by
Chief of Defence Staff.
d. A field marshal would be either a peer or a knight, so after first
mention of, eg, Field Marshal Sir Richard Potts, he would be called Sir
Richard.
e. Similarly, an officer with a personal title should be described in
full at first mention, eg, Lieutenant-General Sir Amos Burke, later Sir Amos
or General Burke.
ROYAL AIR FORCE
a. Use the Royal Air Force or the RAF in text, not the Air Force (see
air force in general alphabetical section).
b. With ranks, the same guidance on abbreviation applies as to the
Royal Navy and the Army (see previous pages); the only RAF rank to take a
hyphen is Air Vice-Marshal.
c. Abbreviations (in lists only, as above) as follows: AVM (Air
Vice-Marshal); Air Cdre (Air Commodore); Gp Capt (Group Captain); Wg Cdr
(Wing Commander); Sqn Ldr (Squadron Leader); Flt Lt (Flight Lieutenant); FO
(Flying Officer); PO (Pilot Officer); FS (Flight Sergeant); Chief Tech
(Chief Technician); Sgt (Sergeant); Cpl (Corporal); SAC/SACW (Senior
Aircraftman/Senior Aircraftwoman) etc. NB. NEVER shorten Flight Lieutenant
to Lieutenant at subsequent mentions.
d. Types of aircraft (not planes): Harrier jump-jet, Tornado (Tornados
plural), B52, F111 (no hyphens), etc.
e. RAF crews went on operations
(or ops) in the Second World War; American (USAF) crews went on missions.
Do not confuse
f. RAF Regiment is a Corps within the Royal Air Force
